Through the Rabbit Hole
by XPoisonButterflyX
Summary: Victor Zsasz makes the mistake of planting the seeds of humanity in a Gotham City doctor. She makes the mistake of playing into his games.
1. Chapter 1: In the Moonlight

**Chapter One: In the Moonlight**

High heels clicked rapidly down a tiled hallway, a white jacket swaying with each step of its wearer. Her arms were moving her hair up into a bun as she hurried down the hall, her eyes focusing in the direction she was headed. Of course she was still tired, she had only been asleep for about three hours before the buzzer downstairs had been rung, and she had about four minutes to get ready as she heard an orderly approach her door. She was used to late night visits given her work field. She could hear the shouting down the hall, and she picked up her pace a bit more.

As she turned the corner, a few of her nurses were going to work getting vitals going on the patient. She could smell metal in the air, and she knew this was going to be a long night. She washed her hands meticulously in the basin before placing on sterile gloves. "What do we have?"

She approached the table as a man writhed about, his arms holding his abdomen. He was saying something or other about his mother and how he was sorry for what he had done in his life. An all too familiar voice spoke calmly over the shouting. "He got clipped by Maroni's men." Her bright green orbs looked up towards him. Falcone. She nodded at him, understanding.

"Do you know what type of gun? That way I know more about what I am looking for?" Falcone simply shrugged and she went straight to work. This man was in bad shape just from her initial observations. She medicated him to make him go to sleep before she began her work. She and her nurses moved as a single machine. This was a routine event in her practice. She worked carefully and managed to cease much of the bleeding, but she had some concerns for him. "He is going to be paralyzed from the waist down..." She muttered aloud to Falcone. He sat not far from the table, his eyes watching the work being done on his man.

Falcone clicked his tongue aloud a very heavy sigh escaped through his lips. "That's a damn shame. He's a good kid." Her eyes searched for some hope in his wounds, however she knew there wasn't much she could do. She stopped working and gave him another shot of medication. "What the hell are you doing?" He suddenly snapped as he rose to his feet.

The young doctor swallowed before looking up into the older man's eyes. "There's nothing more I can do. The damage he suffered is going to kill him, so I was making sure that he died in his sleep. Otherwise he would wake into pain and die slowly…" Her hands wrung in front of her "I doubt he'll last more than an hour." She removed her gloves and disposed of them before placing a comforting hand upon Falcone's shoulder. "There was nothing you could do either. Even the hospital wouldn't have been able to keep him alive."

Falcone was angry, yes, but not at her. However he looked into her eyes and growled. "You swear on YOUR life?"

"Sir, you know I would never bullshit you or any other patient I have. If there isn't anything I can do, then I am not going to waste mine nor your time trying." She removed her soiled jacket and placed it into one of the bins. "I have to report still."

Falcone nodded. He knew that she would have to do that as part of her job. He took his jacket from the chair he sat upon before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a lump of money and handed it carefully to the young doctor. "Hestia, have a goodnight." He tipped his hat politely towards her before exiting.

Once she heard the car door shut outside she walked over to the phone upon the wall just outside of the room. She waited for someone to answer. "Hello? Yes, my name is Doctor Hestia Zaqar and I run the Rising Hearts Treatment Facility. Yes. I had a patient come in with gunshot wounds. He will die of his wounds, so I will need a homicide detective at your earliest convenience. Of course. I will leave him as he is. He is currently sedated. Thank you, you have a goodnight."

She hung up the phone and rested her head against the wall. Even though it only felt like ten minutes since she had started, the clock upon the wall corrected her. She had been in the operating wing for about three hours, and her eyes finally started burning from lack of sleep. She was going to be up a few more hours waiting for the GCPD to send out an officer, and she estimated that she would be able to go back to sleep about seven in the morning. She walked over to check her schedule to see what time she had to wake up for appointments. Luckily, she didn't have any appointments until three in the afternoon. She walked back into the operating wing. The man was going through labored breathing now. She moved to his side and gently checked his pulse. He was reaching the part she hated. She laced her fingers into his and held his hand as his breathing became more hallow.

She waited until the breathing ceased, and a few moments after that she checked his pulse. She declared his time of death and wrote it down in his chart. She walked back over to the basin and washed her hands again. It was so senseless for many of her patients to die, but she knew that her hometown would probably never outgrow these senseless acts of violence. Her heels clicked upon the tile as she headed towards the breakroom to make herself a cup of coffee. She some of her hair had become loose from the whole ordeal, so she twisted the ember strands back into a tighter bun while the coffee brewed slowly before her. As the coffee bubbled in the machine in front of her, her concentration drifted off.

 _She sat shivering in a corner, the blood soaking into her clothes as her hands wrung in her lap. Her eyes looked towards the three bodies before her. Of course there were more victims than just the three she focused on, but these three faces tore through her mind much like the bullets that had pierced through theirs. Her breathing was ragged as she crawled towards them, her knees scrapping through a mixture of blood, water, and mud. She had just returned to Gotham after graduating medical school, and while she knew crime rates were still high, she didn't realize exactly how deadly they had become._

 _She mumbled to herself as she began to assess bodies around her. She couldn't look at the three faces. Her father. Her mother. Her fiancé. Instead she focused on those that she knew still had a chance. She removed her half jacket and began a tourniquet on one of the men closest to her. She didn't understand how this happened, they were all just eating lunch outside a popular Gotham restaurant. She found a man cowering under a table not too far from her. He was crying and blubbering about something. She crawled towards him and began to inspect him, and she could tell he was wounded, but he was so distraught that she couldn't tell from where._

 _"Please, calm down. My name is Hestia, I am a doctor. What is your name?" She asked as she tried to calm him down. He shook in her grasp, but he made eye contact with her._

 _"Os—Oswald." He finally sputtered out. She gently touched his forehead._

 _She shushed him carefully as she began to compose herself and finally found the source of his pain. He had been grazed by two bullets, but he was going to be fine. "You are going to be fine Oswald, okay? They'll just give you a few stitches and you will be fine. But you need to calm down, okay?" He simply nodded as ambulances and police officers began to arrive._

"Dr. Zaqar?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Stranger

**Chapter Two: The Stranger**

Hestia snapped back to reality as she heard the voice behind her. It gave her chills, and it wasn't familiar to her. It wasn't one of nurses, perhaps a cop then? She turned towards the voice to find a man she had never met. He obviously wasn't a police officer either, and he had a very confident and strict demeanor about him. She stepped towards him, but stopped with enough distance for her to attempt to get away if she had to. This man looked exhausted, but his eyes were alert and observant. He was probably close to her age, and he was dressed in an expensive suit. Mobster?

He had been adjusting his leather gloves as she looked him over. "I am Dr. Zaqar." She calmly answered as his hands lowered to his side. "How may I help you?"

He took one step towards her, a crooked smile splaying across his features. "I am Victor Zsasz and I work for Don Falcone. He asked me to stop by to see how our friend is doing. To make sure your diagnosis was correct, especially since you contacted the police, I assume."

Hestia looked in the direction of the operation room. "You can check if you'd like, Mr. Zsasz, but I assure you that he is clinically dead. There are no further ways to attempt to resuscitate him." She closed a little more of the space between them and held out her hand. "I should probably officially introduce myself, especially if you will be stopping by more often for Mr. Falcone. He usually sends a gentleman named Vincent. I am Dr. Hestia Zaqar, and should you ever need treatment you are more than welcome to come here."

Zsasz stared down at her hand for a moment before taking it in his own. People typically avoided any sense of contact with him, and he wasn't sure of her intentions. Their hands lingered in an awkward handshake before she retracted her hand. She calmly walked past him and as she made her way out the door he turned to face her. "It is this way to the operation room Mr. Zsasz."

She walked steadily ahead of him until they got to the metallic scented room. She stopped in the doorway to wait for him. He slowly stepped to stand next to her and he looked into the room. Without even entering the room his trained eyes knew that the man was dead. He looked down towards the doctor to see her eyes looking towards the tile. She had a look upon her face that he wasn't quite sure of the meaning of. Regret? Sadness? Her arms were crossed over her chest, her head tilted lightly to the side as if she was in deep thought. "I will relay the news to Mr. Falcone." He finally broke the silence before heading off towards the exit. " Re—"

She cleared her throat to interrupt him. "Remember that you were never here." He didn't acknowledge her statement, but instead continued to leave the building. She watched his back, the strange feeling exiting from her as the door finally closed behind him. She sighed quietly before heading back towards the break room.

-{X}-

After the ordeal over the past night, Hestia was rather tired. She was out for her afternoon jog, her heart pounding in her ears. She was running off the blood and the gasping of the man last night. She was running off the sleep that she didn't get. She was running off the stale coffee that she left sitting in the coffee pot over night. She was running off the questions from the detective and the appointments she would be dealing with later. While she loved her work field, she often questioned if she was cut out to work in Gotham. Her music beat into her eardrums in rhythm with the competing heartbeats.

She stopped to jog in place at a traffic light, but was off as soon as her crosswalk was cleared. She avoided making eye contact with many of those on the sidewalk, but she was careful not to run into anyone. She finished up the last of her run and headed into her facility in order to shower and prepare for her appointments. Her custodial staff and nurses had been working since early in the morning in order to make the building smell like a friendly doctor's office. The metal smell from last night no longer lingered anywhere, and she almost thought that maybe last night's activities were simply a dream.

Her first appointment went by rather quickly. It was simply a single mother getting her children's shots updated. She gave each of the children a fancy cartoon bandage for their shots, and at the end of the appointment she gave them each their choice of a lollipop or small toy. The mother had her children sit in the waiting room in order to speak to Hestia. She explained that her hours had been cut at her restaurant and that she wasn't going to be able to afford all of the shots. Hestia simply nodded as the mother explained. "Don't worry about it Gina. You always pay me back later, so we'll worry about the payment at your next appointment, okay?"

Gina smiled at her, and gently pat her doctor's arm. "Thank you. I just wish for once I could get ahead of all my bills you know?" With that, that mother herded her children back out of the office. Hestia sighed lightly. She wished there was more she could for a vast majority of her patients, but what she could offer them was enough for her for now. Her next appointment was another simple one. She only had to check some stitches from a dog bite. Her third appointment was a no show, as was her fourth appointment. She waited through her walk in hours before locking up the main part of her office.

Her cellphone rang in her jacket pocket, and she pulled it out. "Hey Stephi, what's up?" She waited for her friend to answer her on the other end before she nodded to herself. "Yeah I guess I can go out tonight. Let me get ready. How about we say ten?" They talked for a few moments longer before she hung up the phone. They were planning on going to Fish Mooney's club for her monthly dance set. It was the one night a month where all of the tables were packed up to clear the floor for a more club like atmosphere. She and her friends went every month since Fish had started doing it.

Hestia could use a break night, and she instructed her nurses to page her only if there was a dire emergency. Once she finished instructing her night staff she went off to get ready. She let her wavy hair down and began to adjust her make up. She settled with a classic smoky eye and red lip. She also settled with a simple black dress. The skirt of the dress was cut asymmetrically so that one side was slightly above her knee while the other was just past her knee. It was a halter top that tied with a deep red ribbon around her neck. She placed on a few simple bracelets and a couple of rings before slipping on a pair of stilettoes. To complete her look she spritzed on her favorite perfume.

She glanced at her wall clock and decided that she could leave now and be about fifteen minutes early. She began walking until she could hail down a taxi. When she got there her friends were already waiting for her. They were pretty close to the front of the line, they must have left even before she did. She joined them, a bright smile across her lips. "Hey guys, sorry I am late." She greeted.

Stephi looked at her through her blonde bangs. "What are you talking about, the club doesn't open for another fifteen minutes, you weirdo." Hestia simply faux rolled her eyes at her friend before scooting in closer to move out of the way. "It is going to be pretty packed tonight. I am glad we got here early."

Hestia looked her friends over. They were all dressed in black tonight, however they had various outfits. She had grown up with these girls, however, their upbringings had been much different than her own. They were born into money, and she was the only one to attend college from her friends. While she knew she was close to them, she was still the slight outsider to their group since she had left for school for six years before coming back. They had a few different topics of discussion before the doors opened. Stephi paid the door fee for them as they entered.

Fish had really outdone herself this month. Hestia had to double check to make sure they had even entered the correct club. There was a smoke machine fogging over the floor, and the club had taken on a darker theme. It reminded Hestia of a darker Alice's Wonderland with the way the waiters were dressed. The lights were dimmer and the music played loudly through the speakers. The red head made her way towards the bar to get her night started. While she enjoyed dancing, she often needed some liquid courage before she could even think about taking the dance floor with her friends.

After she finished her first drink she decided to go back onto the floor to find her friends. Two of them, Liza and Kira, had found themselves some dance partners leaving Hestia, Stephi, and Amy to keep each other company. Hestia jokingly began to dance against Amy, but Amy took it seriously and began to dance right along with her friend. She began to relax and just get into the music while she dance with her friends. The bass from the music pumped through her chest and into her veins, and her senses dwindled into the lights and fog as she just decided to have one night to herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Quite the Deal

**Chapter Three: Quite the Deal**

Hestia's feet began to hurt as the night went on, and she eventually found herself sitting alone at the bar. Most of her friends had left with others, and Amy was working on her own guest to take home off on the dance floor. She was currently sipping on her third drink as the music changed over to the next song. She reached into her clutch to check her pager and phone. Good. She didn't have any messages on either. She stood and went to go back onto the floor when she accidently bumped into someone. Her drink splashed a little on the person's jacket and she turned quickly to set her drink on the bar.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention." She called out to the person as she grabbed some napkins from the bar. She turned to hand them to the person, and as she looked at who it was, her heart sank. "Mr. Falcone…I truly am sorry." She instead began to blot the liquor off of his jacket herself. Once she had most of the liquid cleaned up she turned to place the soiled napkins back on the bar. She turned back to face him, but he was smiling calmly.

"It is alright Dr. Zaqar. The place is packed, there are bound to be accidents. You look lovely this evening." He assessed his jacket, but he could barely tell where her drink had splashed on him. He straightened her dress before holding out his arm. "Let's take a walk shall we?"

Hestia looked around the club before taking his arm carefully. She couldn't spot Amy anywhere and she began to internally curse at herself. He led her not through the front entrance of the club, but down a long hallway. They passed the restrooms and he opened a door at the end of the hall. This led them up a flight of stairs, and the music was faint in this part of the building. Her breathing began to pick up slightly. He wouldn't kill her over her accidently wetting his suit would he?

"I was actually on my way to talk to you at the bar before our little accident. I wanted to discuss something from last night, but I feel it is better to do so in private. Don't you think?"

Hestia simply nodded as he took her into an office. It was occupied with a few other people as well. She recognized a few of them from their visits to her clinic, and of course she recognized Fish Mooney. Falcone led her to a chair in the middle of the room and had Hestia sit down. She made herself as comfortable as she possibly could in her situation and looked towards the desk before her. Don Falcone sat behind it, and he rested his hands upon it. "I showed Mr. Zsasz the body to verify that the patient passed away. I didn't relay much information to the police other than he was a gunshot victim. I promise I didn't mention you nor Mr. Zsasz as being there." She shuffled lightly in her seat.

Falcone leaned forward and looked her over. She kept her eyes just over his head to make it seem as if she was staring into his eyes. He seemed to be thinking about his words carefully. Hestia kept her gaze forward and didn't mutter anything else aloud. In her mind she was attempting to call for help, to move herself to run. She knew it would be useless to do such a thing, and she nearly jumped out of her chair when a lightly touch moved over one of her shoulders. "Just relax and answer Don Falcone's questions my dear, and all will be well." It was a woman's voice. While she had seen Fish Mooney at the club, she had never spoken to her before. Given this, she could confirm that it was indeed Fish Mooney without facing her.

Hestia sat upright. She wasn't sure what this was all about. She did what she normally did for Falcone's men. She administered treatment when she could, and then reported the possible crime to the police. It was part of her job. The voice from behind her moved over to stand next to the desk, a small coy smile across the voice's face. "Boy, why don't you grab our guest a glass of water?"

Hestia heard movement from behind and then the sound of liquid pouring into a glass. She didn't want to upset anyone by saying she didn't want any, so she took it from the young man with a smile on her lips. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she made eye contact with him. She recognized him immediately as he was a hard person to forget. "Something the matter ma'am?" He asked, a wave of concern washing over his face.

She simply shook her head before taking a sip from the water. It was cucumber infused and was actually quite crisp. She inhaled slowly before looking back towards Falcone. "So why am I here? I was actually thinking about leaving before I ran into you."

"No need to be so hasty. I simply wanted to propose a business offer. In light of recent events I am offering to pay you a handsome stipend for you to treat my guys only. This means you would have to refuse to serve Maroni's men of course."

Hestia sat forward, her eye brows dipping together. "Sir, I must refuse this offer. As a doctor I took an oath to help those that seek my treatment. To refuse service to a dying or wounded person simply because _you_ have issues with them is no fault of mine. I refuse to take sides in your guys' power struggle, and I made that VERY _very_ clear when I first started my clinic. Do not ask me to jeopardize my practices and oath for some extra cash." Her hand tightened on her water glass in her anger. The smile had faded from Fish Mooney's lips, and instead her eyes narrowed at the doctor.

"You should maybe sleep on the idea. Falcone doesn't offer anyone such a payroll, you should consider yourself lucky."

The doctor rose to her feet and cleared her throat. "I think we are done here, I would like to leave." As she turned to leave however, a hand grasped her upper arm tightly and spun her back around. The water glass shattered on the floor beneath her. "Get your fucking hands off me." She demanded as she locked eyes with her captor. It was the strange man from last night, his gaze quite different from the night before. "Mr. Zsasz, you will let go of me this instance." Her words hissed through her teeth and they dripped with anger and had she been born with fangs, venom would have surely dripped through her words as well.

Victor Zsasz simply chuckled low in his throat, a devious smile spreading across his lips. He pulled her closer until their faces were inches apart. "I don't believe Don Falcone dismissed you. You are in one of his establishments and they have been hospitable towards you. So, how about we sit down and you play nice? Hm?" Hestia reached her free arm up and grasped his hand to attempt to pry herself free. Instead she was met a stronger grip causing her to gasp. In reaction she clawed his hand with her nails. She could tell that she drew blood, but the man before her didn't even flinch. He simply lowered his gaze towards his hand before looking back up at her.

"Zsasz, let her go. No need to be rough with our guest. She is obviously not interested. Please make sure she gets home safely though." Falcone spoke from his seat.

Before Hestia had a chance to protest she was being pulled towards the door by Zsasz. She could feel the eyes of the others on her back as they exited the room. Instead of taking her towards the direction she had entered with Falcone, Zsasz pulled her in the opposite direction. "Can you at least loosen your grip? He said not to be rough."

He didn't answer but instead moved his hand down towards her wrist. He still held a firm grasp upon her, but it wasn't the painful wrap from just moments ago. They were soon in the alley behind the club and he led her out towards the street. He didn't bother to hail a cab. He knew that the facility was only a few blocks away. His pace was rigorous for her high heeled feet, and she could feel the blisters starting to form upon her feet. She stiffened herself causing them to stop. "What are you doing?"

"I need to slow down, my feet are killing me. I am being compliant with allowing you to walk me home, so please just slow down." She began to take off her shoes in order to readjust them, and she heard a heavy sigh come from his direction. "Oh stop it. Lighten up a bit will you? I am sure this walk is better than just standing around looking scary for Don Falcone."

Zsasz was a patient man, but the way this woman challenged him in her words was beginning to grate on his nerves. He straightened his posture as she worked on her shoes. "If you can't handle wearing them, then you should probably opt for better footwear." He rested his hands on the front of his jackets, his jacket pulling taught from the tightening of his knuckles. She imply shot him a dirty look as she finished readjusting her heels. Her eyes glanced carefully to a cab. "Let's not make this difficult. You are almost home, and then I will be leaving. I am also very sure that I can out run you in those— _shoes_."

She simply started walking in their prior direction. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as they walked side by side. The concrete was damp. It must have sprinkled while she was in the club. It was a rather quiet night for this part of town, but it was nice. The breeze tickled her liquored warmed cheeks and she looked up at the sky. She couldn't see the stars as well here as she could where she went to school. She had become lost in thought and had completely forgotten about her companion. She hadn't been out much after dark since she moved back to Gotham out of fear of the crime rate around her.

As they approached her treatment facility she reached into her clutch and removed her keys. She opened a side door and turned to say goodnight to Zsasz, but he held the door open and made a gesture for her to go in. He followed in behind her and stood by the door. "Oh. Let me look at that." She suddenly muttered. She reached towards the hand she had clawed earlier and examined it carefully. "Human scratches and bites can be particularly nasty." She walked towards one of the walls of the main hall and opened a first aid kit. She carefully cleansed and dressed it. "I apologize Mr. Zsasz, but perhaps you shouldn't grab someone like that when they are already on edge."

Zsasz's dark eyes watched her every move. He remained in anticipation should she try anything suspicious. His calloused rough hands rubbed against her soft well-kept hands. Once her task was completed he held out his hand to examine it. "Perhaps you should mind your manners then." He commented. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. "For your business." He simply stated as he waited for her to take the money.

She narrowed her eyes lightly at him before slowly pushing his extended hand back towards him. "It is on the house tonight, Mr. Zsasz. Have a good night and travel safely." He simply made eye contact with her once more before leaving. Hestia locked her door behind her and headed off for the adjoining building that she lived in. She stopped once inside only to wash the make up from her face before slipping into bed. She decided she would shower in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4: Doctor's Orders

**Chapter Four: Doctor's Orders**

Hestia prepared for work early. Today was going to be slightly busier than yesterday had been at the office. As much as she tried to forget the events of last night, they seemed to continuously creep up over the duration of her day. What in the world was Oswald doing in their company anyways? He had seemed like a pretty good guy when she had initially spent time with him after their shared incidence outside of the restaurant only three years ago. She decided it was none of her business what he chose to do with his life, but she felt it was such a waste for him to get involved with the mob.

She even felt it a waste for her to help many of the late night patients that she received. Many of them continued to come and go with similar wounds each time until they eventually stopped showing up, or they would die in the alley behind her clinic before she could prep room for them, or they would die on her operating table. There seemed to be a cold going around lately too. It was especially common amongst those that she knew lived on the streets. Maybe she could write some sort of letter to revamp some of the homeless shelters to give them more room and better accommodations. She knew that is why the crime rate in Gotham was so high. There was not enough help for the less fortunate of the city, and because of this they often turned to other means of survival.

She had stopped to take her lunch around noon today, instead of just working throughout her whole day as she normally did. She couldn't help it today, she was starving and Chinese sounded very appetizing to her. She checked out with her nurses so that they knew she would be gone. She wasn't expecting any more appointments until two anyways. She had decided to wear much more comfortable shoes today, and she kept a quick pace as she walked towards the closest Chinese restaurant. It wasn't as busy as it normally was, which she was grateful. That meant she could get her food quickly and head back to the office.

Her eyes browsed the take out menu before she decided on a vegetable stir fry. She also ordered some egg rolls before sitting down in one of the waiting chairs. While she waited she examined the artwork upon the walls, her vivid green orbs finding it hard to focus on just one thing in particular. She had to concentrate on something though, otherwise memories would creep up on her again, and she couldn't have that. She had a hard enough time keeping happy during the day as it was. She didn't need to have to deal with those as well. She turned her attention to spinning the bracelet on her wrist and then to tapping her foot. Perhaps she should have called ahead with her order.

She could hear voices in the kitchen over the light music playing in the restaurant. The sound of clinking dishes and laughter in the dining hall let her know that there were indeed other customers for the chefs to prepare food for. She examined her finger nails and decided she would need to trim them tonight. They were getting too long for her liking, and she worried about them getting in the way of her work. After what seemed an eternity her name was called, and she quickly moved to the pick-up counter. She double checked her food before leaving the building. As she stepped out into the sun, it seemed as if she was on a completely different street. A woman was screaming nearby, and an officer was chasing down some man. Purse snatching, Hestia concluded after listening to the crowd around her. She decided not to become involved, given that no one seemed to be hurt.

She kept her eyes straight forward as she walked back towards her facility. She stopped briefly at the front desk to check for any messages left for her, and then headed to the break room. Her tongue clicked behind her teeth upon seeing two visitors in the room. One had their feet propped up on the table, and the other stood reading the cork announcement board against the wall. She stepped over to the first man and pushed his feet off the table. "People _eat_ here, Mr. Zsasz. What do you two want anyways?" She asked as she turned to glare at the back of Oswald's head.

She stepped to the second table in the room and set her food down before washing her hands. So much for having an enjoyable lunch. She inhaled slowly to keep her calm and decided it was just best to listen than it was to attempt to throw them out. Zsasz continued to read the magazine he held in hands, but he moved his feet to place them on a chair nearby. Oswald pointed to one of the flyers in particular before looking over his shoulder at her. His face was contorted into a smile. "You're going to hold a vote so that your patients get to decide what color to change the waiting room walls to? That is quite endearing. It must make them feel so welcome."

She twirled her chopsticks between her fingers as she kept her calm. "Well, it is a waiting room, and they are the ones that tend to wait in there, so I decided that I would let them pick the color they have to stare at. I am sure they would prefer something more than the white that I currently have out there." She took a bite of her vegetable stir fry and chewed slowly as she glanced between the two men. "Now, what do you want?"

Oswald took a seat across from her. "I came as a friend to speak to you. I really think you should rethink the deal with Don Falcone."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course they sent you here. Are you supposed to scare me? Threaten me?" She stuck her chopsticks abruptly into her stir fry before placing her hands upon the table. "Because I am not accepting that deal. It is not who I am as a doctor to decline service to others simply because of their bosses' feuding. It is no business of mine if they cannot get along with each other. I do not want that money, I just want to treat my patients and stay out of it."

Zsasz turned the page of his magazine and grunted in an interested tone before changing over the position of his feet. Oswald continued to smile at her, but his eyes looked sideways towards Zsasz before he made eye contact with her. "But I am sure running this place gets expensive—"

"I make due, Oswald. It does get tough around here but we always make due." She took up her chopsticks to continue eating. "Would you like an eggroll? I am starting to get full." She asked. Perhaps it would change the subject. She held the bag up towards Oswald.

"Oh, thank you." He carefully slipped one out and took a bite. "Wow, these are pretty good. But what would be better is to know that my friend is being taken care of. Just think of how your patients could benefit from all the extra funds."

Hestia had had enough between last night's events and Oswald's faux friendliness. She stood abruptly and slammed her hands on the table before leaning in towards Oswald. "I will say this one more time, and I really want you to pay attention. I will NOT, I repeat, will absolutely FUCKING not accept the deal. I will continue to run my practice and care for my patients regardless if they are Maroni's or Falcone's or whoever the fuck else's people they may be. I am a doctor, and you—" she said as she jutted a finger out towards Oswald "you will tell Don Falcone that I said thank you for his generous offer, but I decline. That is that. I don't care how much he offers."

Zsasz had simply glanced over his magazine at the noise. He rose an eyebrow as a small grin appeared across his face. Oswald looked pleading at Hestia, his face full of concern. Instead of arguing with her he simply shuffled towards her and hugged her gently. She felt him slip something in her jacket pocket, but she decided it best not to check at the current moment. Oswald exited the room, leaving Hestia alone with the other man. He continued to read his magazine as she sat back down to continue eating. "Aren't you going to go with him?"

He shook his head, but continued reading his magazine. "You know, it is a shame that you are so stubborn. It would have been enjoyable to work with you, but unfortunately, I doubt Don Falcone will give me good news for you."

Hestia avoided looking at him as she slipped her hand into jacket pocket. She pulled out the paper, and it simply stated one word in loopy cursive. " _Run_." She heard a noise come from somewhere out towards the main desk, and she fixed her bun before checking the time. They wouldn't do anything at this time of day would they? They must know she has patients still coming for the day. Then it dawned on her. She remember the list of new patients starting at two o' clock. Franz. Albert. Louis. Carla. Owen. Nicholas. Edward.

She stood slowly and slipped off her jacket. She decided to make it look as if she was just simply hanging it upon the hook against the wall near the door. Once it was firmly on the hook, she tightened her grasp on the note. She carefully placed it into her mouth and she began to slowly chew it. The bitter taste of ink enveloped her tongue before she swallowed the small bit of paper. She didn't want Oswald to be in trouble too. She noticed many of the lunch bags from her nurses were gone for the day, and many of their badges hung up in their proper place.

She looked over towards Zsasz who was still skimming through his magazine, and then she decided her next course of action.


	5. Chapter 5: Burns like Battery Acid

**Chapter Five: Burns like Battery Acid**

Hestia had bolted from her break room, slamming the door behind her to attempt to slow Zsasz down. He waited as he listened to her sneakers squeaking against the tile floor out in the hallway. Which way was she going to go? Towards her main desk to attempt to exit the front door. Surely she had heard the noise. But what about her home? She wouldn't dare go there would she? A large grin spread across his face. This was his favorite part. He whistled as he rolled his magazine up, and then he tucked it into his boot. He would have to finish reading it later. She couldn't have waited a few more moments?

He continued to whistle as he approached the door, and he slowly opened it. However, he was not expecting the next event. He first noticed her sneakers placed neatly right outside the door frame, then he noticed the hand approaching him at a rapid speed. He felt a sharp pain graze across his shoulder as Hestia's scalpel pierced through his jacket. He simply chuckled as he grabbed onto her wrist, a slight twist, and soon the scalpel was clanging against the floor. Her next hand connected sharply with his face, causing his nose to water. "Quite surprising, but disappointing. Our chase is over so soon? You didn't even try, did you?"

He had grabbed onto her second wrist and had pushed her backwards as he walked out into the hall. She pulled her arms roughly and she began to squirm. Maybe he wouldn't be disappointed after all. Hestia's mind was racing a million miles per minute, her eyes glancing crazily around to find some sort of escape. She thrusted her head towards his, and this caused him to only grasp her harder. "Can you at least make it hurt?" He asked, a low chuckle in his throat.

One of his sleeves had moved up slightly, revealing scars upon his arm. She glanced towards it, and in the back of her mind she realized that as crazy as he was, he was just sick. She shook this idea from her mind. No. She would die if she thought that. Instead she steeled herself and inhaled sharply. "So, Mr. Zsasz, shall we go then?" Her eyes glared into his and she attempted to puff herself help to make it seem as if she was bigger than she actually was.

He began to lead her towards the back exit of her clinic. "Are you sure you want to go this way? Cops tends to hang around there, you know? And if not the cops, the witnesses."

Zsasz looked over towards her, his smile growing bigger. "Oh, you are so coy. Do you really think I hadn't thought of that?" Perhaps he had gotten his hopes up too high. This meant she would break faster once they got to his basement, but he had wanted fun. She was so defiant towards Oswald, so why did she play so easily into his hands? She could have least gotten away for a little while, prolonged his wait for his play time. He continued to pull her into the alley way. The car should be around somewhere close.

Her bun had let loose a few strands after the scuffle in the hallway. She began to look around for different avenues of escape. Her heart raced quickly through her veins as she realized she was running out of time. "Alright. Alright. I will take the deal."

Zsasz stopped to move her in front of him. A mischievous grin took over his features. He stood staring at her as his smile faded to leave his face void of emotion before looking her over. She stared defiantly back in his direction, her jaw stiffening He let go of one of her hands and held up his index finger. His hand touched her face carefully. "Are you sure you don't want to come play instead? We would have so much fun, _Hestia_." He waited for some sort of outburst, but none came. She still held it in her eyes though—life. No, she wasn't ready to die, and he could tell she would fight for it. Zsasz tilted his head slightly to the left before continuing to search for what he was looking for. " _Come on, Dr. Zaqar_." His words hissed through his mind, but nothing echoed forth from his lips.

She stared angrily back at him, her free hand clenching and unclenching. Her mind raced impatiently for an idea. His hand left her face, and he slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket. She listened for the dialing sounds from his keypad. He cleared his throat as he waited. He clicked his tongue behind his teeth. "No answer. I guess that means we'll just have to wait. Now, if I take you back inside, you promise to play nice? Otherwise, I will have to take you to my playroom, and you might not enjoy it so much."

Hestia bit her bottom lip before exhaling sharply. "Let's go inside."

"I want your word. Promise me." He brought his face closer to her, and he fought the urge to lick the fear from her neck.

"I promise to play nice, Mr. Zsasz." She snapped back. He quickly moved her back into the clinic and pulled her back towards the break room. Her mind began to wander as he had her take a seat by her food. They sat in silence, but he had returned to reading his magazine. She played with her fingers, her mind reeling. Then it snapped into her mind. She recognized his name, but from where? She closed her eyes and began to focus on it. She faintly remembered it, one of her first newspapers after returning to Gotham. The black ink began to circle into her mind, the pictures of some body of water flooding her mind. Her eyes finally shot open and she moved them towards his face. It couldn't be him, but that name was too unique for it not to be. "Boating accident." She finally spoke.

His eyes slowly moved over his magazine to peer at her. "What?"

"Your parents… They died in a boating accident. A few years ago? I think I remember reading about it." She looked at him carefully as he lowered his magazine to the table. "I'm sorry."

He had moved so quickly to the side of the table closest to her, she wasn't even sure if he had been on the other side of the table to begin with. He sat in a chair in front of her so that he was close enough that their knees were touching. He scoffed lightly before bringing a gloved hand to her face. "Why are you sorry doctor? You simply asked a question. Death is a part of life. They were simply ready to go."

Hestia moved her face away from his hand slightly before making eye contact with him. "My parents died too." Zsasz smiled inwardly to himself. She still played into his game and she didn't even know it. He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "They were murdered. So was—" She stopped abruptly. "Never mind about that. When do you think Don Falcone will call you back? I would like to open my practice again, in case I received any emergencies."

"He'll call when he'll call. It just depends on how busy he is. He's a busy man. Now, why don't you tell me about your parents?"

Her eyes narrowed in on him. She stared at his blank expression, her teeth working at the corner of her lip. It was something she did while in deep thought.


	6. Chapter 6: Cat and Mouse

**Chapter Six: Cat and Mouse**

Hestia shuffled a bit in her seat to try and gain some confidence, but she had very little left. The brooding man before her simply continued to stare deeply at her, yet it seemed as if he was staring straight through her. It made goosebumps prickle upon her arms as she looked into the never ending darkness of his chocolate brown eyes. The heat from his knees crept up against her, and she fought a shiver. How could someone with a demeanor so cold be so warm? After her shifting subsided, she looked towards her food still sitting, barely picked at, on the table. Then her eyes traveled the length of the desk until they were gazing out through the window. People passed by the one way glass, but even if they could see in no one would come to her rescue. That was just how Gotham was. Everyone was on their own, even if they thought they had those they could trust.

She thought back to the mountain city she had lived in during medical school. It was so much calmer and peaceful there. It was small enough to where you could still leave your doors unlocked, but Hestia never did. She always had worries of someone barging in and leaving her to die in their wake. Her fingers had been fumbling against her lap as she continued to drift away from her current predicament. She knew how to escape. It was all in her mind. It was a great tool that she had picked up after living in Gotham. She began to discover its usefulness when her parents would argue, when the dishes would get broken, when her mother would plead for mercy. She used it to escape bullies in school and the mean girls that would make fun of her hair in high school. She escaped her first relationship, and she even used it to escape her fiancé before.

She continued to drift further until she was six years old. The wind whipped through her hair as she peddled her bike down the street, the sun warm against her cheeks. It was her favorite birthday, because her parents didn't fight and she was allowed to go to the park to meet up with some friends. Her parents had even given her ice cream money, not only for her, but for her friends as well. She had spent most of that day climbing trees and playing make believe, but it was the swings that really made it special. Usually she never got to use the swings, but on that day, they were hardly used and so she took them for her own. The squeaking of the bar above, the wind pushing through her hair as she closed her eyes and leaned back. It was almost as if she were actually flying. She stayed until just before dark, that way she could ride her bike and be home right as the streetlights kicked on for the evening.

Hestia wasn't sure how long she had been traveling when Zsasz's hand moved towards her. It stopped on her shoulder and he abruptly shook her. "Well? What happened to your parents?"

"They uh. They were shot outside a restaurant." She stuttered as she rubbed her eyes to help her focus back on her present world. "They both died at the scene, and a few others were wounded as well." She dropped her hands back down to her lap before she stood abruptly to get away from Zsasz's warmth. She paced back and forth, but made sure she stayed far enough from the door so that she didn't rile him up any further. Given his stature and the swift motions he had already displayed she had no doubt that he could quickly catch up to her and over power her. She knew that it was his physique that kept him employed, along with a few of his other attributes.

Zsasz kept his eyes on her as she paced back and forth. He kept very close attention to every movement she made, from the way her chest moved gently with each breath, to the way her hand was playing with her face. Her socked feet made little noise as she passed over the tiled floor. She looked tired in way Zsasz recognized. He had once been tired like that too, until he found his calling in life. She had stopped to look out the window again, her arms wrapping around her front as if she were giving herself a hug. Her hands cupped the opposite elbow and she held herself tightly. He grew curious as she stared out the window. What could she be looking for? Was she waiting for someone?

He moved his gaze out of the window, but all he saw were the passing citizens and vehicles. Occasionally a bird would fly pass, but he didn't see whatever it was that she saw. It was because Hestia was retreating back into her mind. Instead this time, she remembered the last meal with her parents. She had insisted on sitting outside since it was such a lovely day. The first day of spring, and the restaurant had introduced a menu. She remembered the tangy lemon mix from her grilled chicken as her teeth ground it up into mush before she swallowed it. The water was particularly crisp from the added cucumbers, and she remembered the veggies in her salad being so fresh. Her father had ordered some sort of steak dish, while her mother ordered seafood. Her fiancé had ordered some type of sandwich.

The table tops were each decorated in a soft, lacey tablecloth in the color of snow. She remembered the texture of it on her fingertips, so gently and silky. It was a sunny day, but there was a breeze that was just gentle enough to keep the day cool. She hadn't spoken much that meal, but maybe she should have since it had been their last.

This time Hestia jumped from her thoughts as a familiar song echoed through the room. Zsasz stared at her a moment longer before slipping his nimble fingers into his front pocket. "Hello, Don Falcone. Dr. Zaqar said she's coming around to the deal you discussed with her. I'll get it done." With that, he closed his phone again and stood before making his way to her. "He wants to see you. Will you behave? I don't feel like carrying you out to the car."

She simply turned and began to walk towards the hall. She could still back out of the deal by running off as soon as they were outside. She could leave Gotham and never return. She shook her head and before she could stop herself, an audible "No," echoed past her lips. She quickly bit her lower lip to quiet herself as Zsasz shot a look at her.

He kept his pace even with her as his arm suddenly shot out and snaked itself around her hips. "Dr. Zaqar, it might end pretty badly if you start to misbehave now. I wouldn't have to shoot you and leave you lying out in the alley way. It would save Don Falcone some money, however, he would be very disappointed should you die." He suddenly stopped her to stand in front of her, his eyes looking down towards her. "I could always say that you tried to escape, so I had to kill you, but you wouldn't actually be dead, I would just take you home and make you wish you were."

"Mr. Zsasz, you don't need to threaten me any further. I am already complying…I was simply thinking out loud is all." She kept trying to avoid his gaze. Something about it provoked these strange emotions in her, and it left her feeling confused. He seemed to be pleased with this answer as suddenly continued back on their journey. He led her out to a dark vehicle and he reached out to open the door. She slid into the backseat without any fuss, but she was unable to see the driver. However, she had a good idea of who it was. Had he really waited all that time?

The ride was silent as Hestia escaped into her mind again. Occasionally she would return to feel the burning stare of her cab buddy. She began to feel nauseous as she realized the type of deal she was entering into, but she simply inhaled sharply to keep those feelings down. After an eternity, the vehicle came to a smooth stop, and Zsasz exited quietly from his side of the car. He walked around and opened her door again, his hand there to help her out. Her feet became soaked as she stepped in a puddle, the water engulfing her socks. She waited for Zsasz to keep walking, and she followed him. Their driver had managed to catch up with them, and her eyes moved to her left to see who it was. Her suspicions were confirmed as Oswald's anxious eyes examined her.

Was he looking for any injuries? She didn't care as they continued their walk into an unknown building. It looked expensive, and there was some sort of opera music coming from an open window as they made their way up the drive way. Zsasz opened the door and stepped aside to allow them entry, and Hestia was met by a smiling Fish Mooney, her face mimicking that of Alice's Cheshire Cat. Hestia's stomach leapt into her throat, but she managed to keep herself from throwing up. She was really going through with this. They entered what must be some sort of study and she was once again sat down in front of a desk. Zsasz walked over and stood to the side of the desk as Falcone puffed from a cigar between his thin lips.

"How will I be able to tell Maroni's men from yours?" Hestia asked as she sat up straight in her seat.

A low musing came from the depths of Falcone's throat as he seemed to ponder this. "We'll give them a code word to identify themselves with."

Hestia openly scoffed before clearing her throat. "A password? You of all people know how quickly word spreads around Gotham. Maroni's men will know what to say before I even get back to my clinic." She began to consider that she may possibly have an upper hand.

Oswald looked nervously around the room, his hands playing with the inner linings of his pockets. She shot a quick glance towards him, and they locked eyes for a moment. Oswald could see the threat in her eyes, and he quickly looked towards the floor. Zsasz caught this exchange, and he made a mental note of it. "I will have some of my guys pose as some of your nurses. They'll know the difference. After all, you do seem short staffed lately. It would be good protection for you as well."

She inhaled sharply to control the levels of venom that might drip from her words. "Your guys aren't medically trained, are they?"

"No, but they can follow directions, which you will learn to do too." He looked towards Zsasz before moving his gaze back towards her.

"Are you going to continue to threaten me with him? Just take me out back and shoot me if it's that big of a deal, _Carmine_."

Zsasz made a movement as if he was going to strike her, but Falcone raised a hand. "Don't worry about it Victor, relax." He lowered his hand down to a drawer and held out a folder towards her. "I think I might have something better than empty threats, Dr. Zaqar—" he leaned forward slightly, "go on, take it."

Hestia leaned forward hastily and snatched the folder from his grasp. She opened it and briefly skimmed over the contents before slamming it shut. Anger began to boil under her skin, and she shot a heavy look at Oswald. "You spineless—"

"He had his reasons to divulge this information to me, Dr. Zaqar, and I would hate for it to end up in the wrong hands."

Zsasz had a piqued interest in the folder, but it was none of his business. He simply watched Oswald's body language as it shrunk him into something smaller than he was. Oswald also made a very pointed attempt to avoid Hestia's gaze as it began to pierce through him. "So do I sign a contract? Do we do a blood pact? How does this go?" Her arms had crossed tightly over her chest and she wanted so badly to escape back into her mind.

"I will supply your clinic with the necessities. Victor will come by periodically to collect your inventory list. We'll have anonymous donors funneling money to you. In return, I place five of my guys into every shift, and you continue business as usual. It'll hurt Maroni because he'll have to go to the back alley doctors who never made it through medical school. A lot of his men will suffer. It is just business."

She chewed on her bottom lip before standing. She held a hand out to Falcone. "May I at least have men with some medical experience?"

Falcone took her hand in his in a firm shake. "I'll see what I can arrange." Moments later she was being led back out to the car, Zsasz's firm grasp on her elbow. Oswald walked slowly behind them to avoid her as she climbed into the back seat. She pulled her knees up to her chest as her head rested against the window. She needed to escape down her memory lane.


	7. Chapter 7: New Beginnings

It had been about a month since her deal with Falcone, and since then, she had received multiple threats from Maroni. She often would ask one of Falcone's men to retrieve groceries for her, or she would have someone accompany her because of the worry of a hit being placed upon her. On this particular day, she decided to go out on her own. If he wanted her dead so badly, then he could kill her. She strolled through the open farmer's market, her mind sharp with paranoia. She managed to find a few good deals, and soon her cart was full. It was a tall bin looking contraption that she could wheel behind her. She didn't remember where she had purchased it from, but it was well worth the money.

She stopped at a flower shop on her way back to her home, and she picked out a bouquet with a bright variation of colors. After getting home she quickly snipped the stems of the flowers and put them in a vase on her table. She worked quickly to put her groceries away, leaving out only the ingredients she needed for dinner. She didn't realize how long she had been gone until the sun was beginning to set behind the horizon outside of her window. Tonight she decided to make a simple stew. She began by making a broth before cutting the vegetables. After a few clacks of the knife striking the cutting board, she decided to play some music. She turned it to a random classical station and continued her work. She handled each vegetable with care, and spent her time cutting them lazily. She wanted to enjoy the different scents that they filled her air with. It was a way of relaxing as the music faded in with the scents, causing her to drift to and fro in her memories.

Zsasz stood silently watching her through the door way of her kitchen. He wondered how long it would take for her to realize his presence, his eyes tracing her every move. He had been following her since she had left earlier that afternoon, and it surprised him that she didn't notice him at all throughout the day. He had gone right past her as she admired flowers at the outdoor floral shop, slowing only to briefly smell her hair. She had switched shampoos. She intrigued him in a sense he didn't quite fully understand, but he somehow enjoyed it. She would eventually crack one day, and he would win their game.

He watched as she took a spoon from a drawer to dip it into the stew. She blew some of the heat away carefully before taking a bite. She tilted her head to the side as her tongue trailed over her bottom lip to catch a drop that had missed her mouth. She stayed still for a moment as she took the flavor in. "Oh! Garlic." She finally decided. She moved towards her counter, and her delicate hands retrieved a bulb from its netted bag. After thinly dicing a section she sprinkled it into the stew and stirred it in. Zsasz had taken a few steps into the kitchen and decided to finally sit down. He could have snapped her neck by now if he wanted to.

His nimble fingers reached out to touch some of the petals on the closest flower to him. He never understood the significance of giving flowers to other people, not even when he would purchase them for his own mother. She was always so delighted to have them, but why was she? They simply died shortly after, and he felt they were a waste. How can you express love through something that simply dies? Hestia had removed a bowl from a cupboard before she turned. The glass shattered on the floor round her feet as she met Zsasz's gaze. "I uh…didn't even see you there." She quickly moved to begin picking up the pieces, and soon his feet were close to her. He knelt down to take the pieces from her hands and she just continued to stare at the floor. She stayed this way as he picked up the bigger pieces of glass.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings. You've made a fair share of enemies by working with Don Falcone." He straightened up and walked towards her sink. One of his hands reached down and opened the door under her sink. He tossed the glass into the trashcan as she grabbed a broom to clean up the smaller pieces of glass.

Hestia didn't acknowledge this at first. She didn't understand why he would care, even if he had been around a lot more than usual. She quickly disposed of the rest of the mess before returning the broom and dust pan to their homes. She made her way to the sink to wash her hands, and soon the goosebumps tickled her skin as Zsasz's abdomen pressed lightly against hers. He moved his hands into the water to wet them before pumping soap onto his hands. He smiled to himself as he felt her stiffen up against him. He had been slowly introducing more of this behavior towards her to simply get some sort of rise from her. Sometimes she just stayed as she was, and other times she would slink away from him.

Her hands had worked their way into his as she examined the scar she left from their second encounter. She carefully moved water over their hands to remove the suds before reaching up to turn off the water. She waited for him to move away, but his warmth continued to spread against her back. "Mr.—"

"Victor." He simply stated.

"V-v-ictor. My dinner is going to burn." She carefully pleaded. He could feel her breathing quicken against him, and he waited one more moment before leaning down until his face hovered close to her ear.

"May I stay for dinner?"

The whisper caused her to jump and maneuver away from him. She moved back to her cupboard and removed two bowls before placing them on the table top. She avoided his gaze as she took a pot holder and placed it in between the two bowls. Her hands worked quickly to move the stew pot to the table and she rested it upon the fabric she had placed down. After setting the table with a few other components such as utensils, water glasses, and bread, she took her seat carefully and dished out some of the stew to herself. Victor filled his bowl in a similar manner before one of his hands pushed the vase of flowers out of the way. His stare burned down the table towards her, her hand moving her spoon absentmindedly through her stew. "Why Victor?"

He had just finished taking a bite as she asked this question. He worked the food through his mouth before swallowing. "I think that since I call you Hestia, you should be able to call me Victor. That is what coworkers tend to do, right?" He lowered his head to take another bite. She stared at him in a wave of confusion. He was typically to the point with her, and while they had a few in depth discussions, he usually just showed up to take her inventory lists and check to make sure that she was following Falcone's guidelines. He was really hard for her to understand most of the time, since his feelings often seemed displaced. She would sometimes tell him jokes, but she was rarely met with even so much as a smile. Sometimes he was short and angry in their discussions, other times he was aloof, and even still he had his polite and pleasant moments of discussion.

"I suppose they do…how has work been? Since we are speaking as coworkers now." Her voice was distant and distracted as her eyes carefully took in his appearance. He was never disheveled, even in his line of work, but today she noticed a very small, single stain on his earthy suit. Even Victor Zsasz was human she decided in the back of her mind as she continued to watch the way his jaw moved when he ate, the way that his face was so relaxed, leaving her without any indication to his possible answer.

He seemed to mull the question over, but all he was doing was taking his time relishing his work as of late. His deep earthy pools followed her movements as she stood to hang her apron on its hook before shrugging off her hoodie. He considered this gesture, as she rarely removed any article of clothing than her doctor's coat whenever he was around. The heat from the stove must be getting to her. She sat back in her seat in a nonprofessional manner. One leg bent to allow her to sit upon its foot, and she continued eating. Her tank top was fading, but he could make out Gotham University flowing across her chest. "It's been fine. I can assume you are busy because your inventory orders have been larger than they originally used to be."

She simply nodded as she took a sip of her water. This was their first time sharing a meal together, but to her it actually felt like a normal occurrence. She began to relax in his presence. If he wanted to kill her, she would already be dead. Unless he was toying with her. Either way, she enjoyed the company. Her classical music was starting to lose its conversational edge with her. He ate slower than her, and she wondered if he enjoyed it. He didn't seem too undernourished, but he could probably use a little bit healthier food choices. She finished her bowl and moved to the sink to rinse out the dish. She would wait for him to finish before she actually washed any of the dishes. She wasn't sure if the sound of the rushing water covered his steps, or if he was just that silent, but his touch almost caused her to break her bowl in the sink.

He had closed the space between them, his fingers slowly tracing over the splatters of scars peeking through the straps of her tank top. She froze as the warmth danced about, his fingers making their way over each scar. How could she be so careless? She turned off the water and shrugged away from his touch to reach for her hoodie. He stopped her by firmly grasping her wrist. "I have scars too." He let go only to roll up one of his sleeves. His pale skin was kissed with streaks of raised red scars. She reacted by simply gently tracing his.

"Yours are self-inflicted."

"Who gave you yours?"

Hestia began chewing her lip before snatching her hoodie off the chair. He noted that her entire demeanor changed. Her green eyes seemed to darken, and certain muscles had dipped her eyebrows down towards her nose. It was a question she was uncomfortable with, and this piqued his curiosity. She pulled the hoodie over her body to cover the scars and started to clear the table. His eyes didn't leave her as she continued to pack up the food from the table. He could feel the coldness that now emanated from her attitude, and he stood in place as she worked around him. The table cloth was removed and place in a hamper in the pantry, the table scrubbed after. The stove tops and counters received the same scrub down, as did the sink after she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. She started the dishwasher and with that, she left the kitchen to head towards a different portion of the house. A simple dismissal echoed over her shoulder. "Goodnight Victor, you can see yourself out."

His nimble fingers adjusted the knob on her radio until the violins and pianos were brought to an abrupt halt. He would need to be able to hear which portion of the house she had journeyed to. He waited until he could hear her movements stop in a room down her hall. His prowess moved into action and soon he found her sitting on a daybed, her feet propped up and a book placed delicately between her fingertips. The daybed made little sound as his weight was sat slowly at the edge of it. He sat straight, his hands resting together, entwined, between his legs. The daybed was tall enough for his feet to plant to the ground, and he slowly rotated his head in each direction to crack his neck. A heavy gust came forth from Hestia's lips as the book in front of her closed with a thud. She pulled her legs up towards her chest as she sat up to give him more room. "Are you always so hard headed?"

Victor nodded slowly to her question. "Who gave you _yours_?" The question rolled from his mouth demandingly. He was curious since she obviously tried to hide it. He thought back to the folder. Did that sniveling Cobblepot hurt her in the past? He barely seemed like he could hurt a fly, let alone another human being. He was more of a mental attacker rather than physical. He hadn't forgotten that gaze she had given Cobblepot though. He recognized that gaze as he would often give it to people before he was who he truly was.

He could almost feel her brain racking itself trying to discover his true intentions. She had leaned closer in his direction before clearing her throat. "An ex of mine gave them to me." For the first time since he had known her, she seemed to actually shrink into herself, the defiance leaving her eyes, instead a genuine flash of fear took place. Her body language once again changed into more of a protective manner as her arms wrapped tighter around her legs, her face resting against one of her knees. She was rigid, her eyes hidden behind great distances from the plane of existence they were currently on.

The pair remained quiet for some time as the clock against the furthest wall ticked away loudly. _Why did she have so many damn clocks?_ He snapped back to the present after trailing off to the ticking of the clock. He glanced to his side. "Why did he do that?"

Her shoulders raised as she inhaled the air around them. It was tinged in his scent, and she had never realized how comforting that smell was to her. "Doesn't matter now. He's dead."

"Did you kill him?"

"He died the same day my parents did."

This didn't answer his question, but he could tell he wouldn't be getting any more out of her about this subject. They once again sat in silence until the daybed creaked next to him. She had moved to rest herself on her knees, her palms resting against the tops of her thighs. He was confused by this movement as she just stared in his direction. "Why did you come here tonight? You already took my inventory two days ago." _Why was he here?_ He didn't like being caught off guard, especially by this woman. A low rumble in his chest answered her at first. He knew that this wouldn't suffice, but he could at least buy a few more moments of silence. His fingers relaced themselves together as he pondered what would be the best course of action to handle this issue.

Hestia waited patiently, a few strands of her flamed locks framing her face lightly. He couldn't simply tell her that she intrigued him, but he couldn't tell her his visit was purely business. She gave him so many different reactions, always surprising him, and while he didn't care for surprises, he took pleasure in finding ways that he could provoke her. Her lips had curved up into a small smile before she moved once again to place her legs over the side of the bed. While his feet touched the ground, hers lingered over the carpet. She started to grow impatient with his silence, so she finally decided to break it. "Um, Victor…" she paused to consider her words carefully, "there is a new restaurant that is opening up downtown, and it is supposed to have really, well, good Italian food. Would you, I guess…Would you like to go with me? I mean we could just _happen_ to bump into each other there I suppose, but it would be nice if we could just…you know."

She seemed to grow embarrassed as she rambled on, as he noticed the heat rushing to her cheeks. Her hands had started to wring themselves together in front of her, her voice becoming softer with each new sentence she sputtered in his direction. He wasn't expecting to be asked a question of this nature, especially not by her. He stayed silent as she continued her rant. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I mean, you probably don't even like Italian food, and you probably work a lot, and I work a lot. I just thought it would be nice to go on a da—"she paused abruptly before shaking her head, "It would be nice to have some company. I am sorry Victor."

One of his hands had moved towards her, and he caught the small wince she did at his hand approaching her. His index finger pressed gently against her lips to keep her from continuing. While he enjoyed it when she wasn't so sure of herself, this conversation was starting to make him feel strange. He hadn't been asked on an actual date, nor had he asked anyone else on a date for quite sometimes. Sure, he had his _lady friends,_ but he didn't particularly date any of them. He removed his finger from her lips before resting his hand on her cheek. He could see the vulnerability in her eyes, and he realized the power that he held over her in this moment. He gave her a mischievous half smile before allowing the words to pass from his lips. "Be ready at eight on the opening night, Hestia."

She was left in a whirlwind of shock as he left just as quickly and silently as he appeared. Maybe, just maybe, Victor Zsasz wasn't actually a human. Perhaps he was a ghost that haunted in her in her loneliness.

( **Author's Note: I will be moving into the actual show time line in the next couple of chapters. I am trying to keep Zsasz in his character, but I am also playing off of some of his other portrayals. Let me know what you think, constructive criticism is more than welcome. Thank you for reading**.)


	8. Chapter 8: Dance the Night Away

**Chapter Eight: Dance the Night Away**

( **Adult themes ahead, Slightly longer chapter** )

As Hestia shuffled the clothing in her closet, she slowly realized that she didn't have very many formal clothes to wear. Of course she had the occasional cocktail dress for dance nights at Mooney's, but other than that, she didn't have anything appropriate for her date later that evening. She had managed to get the new doctor in her staff to cover her shift, to ensure that she got to actually have a relaxed time without having to check her pager every five minutes. She spent the next twenty minutes contacting each of her friends to possibly borrow a dress from one of them, or even to talk them into going shopping with her. Kira answered her with a fake giggle and a simple answer of being busy, and that she could help next time, and that she hoped the date went well. Liza's phone went straight to voicemail, and Amy didn't even try to cover the uncomfortable bored tone in her voice as she also declined.

She had almost gotten Stephi to go shopping with her, but then she remembered some appointment she had at some parlor. Hestia ended the call with a sigh as she glanced through her closet again. Her tongue clicked behind her teeth before she came up with an idea. She got dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a plain t-shirt. After grabbing her purse and keys, she pulled on a pair of flats and exited out of her home into the street outside. She made a brisk walk a few blocks over and was soon entering Fish Mooney's club. It was a much different place in the daytime, but it still held that flair that Fish had carefully poured into it. She looked around to find the stage empty, but she could see the back of the owner's head as she seemed to be eating. Her stomach began to turn as she approached the woman sitting a few feet away from her. "Miss Mooney, do you have a moment?" Her voice came across a lot more nervous than she had intended, but she was met with a careful smile as the woman turned to face her.

"Oh, your Falcone's doctor. Zaqar, is it?" The woman purred as she made a gesture to the seat across from her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Hestia hesitated, but took the seat offered to her. "Well, I uh. Actually I didn't really think this through before coming here." She chewed on her bottom lip as the lion across from her licked her lips in wait. The redhead exhaled sharply. "Well, you see, I have a date tonight, and I have nothing to wear, so I called my friends, but they were all busy, so I wasn't able to get anyone to go shopping with me, and I have no idea where to go in order to find the right outfit, so I was honestly going to stop by and see if Os—Mr. Cobblepot had any idea as to where I should go. But maybe you know somewhere instead…you always dress so attractively."

A large man had seemed to appear out of nowhere as he took a spot near Fish, and he looked the doctor over inquisitively. "It's alright Butch, she's my guest." The woman answered his silent question before she rested an elbow lazily against the table top. "Well, allow me to congratulate you on your date. You seem to be a nice girl. As for fashion advice, my umbrella boy is of no expertise. I might have a few things in the back that might fit you, but where do you plan on going?"

"It's called Nostalgia."

"The new restaurant downtown? You must have a very important date if you managed to get in there."

Hestia nodded slowly. "I guess he might be considered important."

"Is it anyone I know?"

"I don't think so." Hestia mustered her best smile after she caught the animalistic tinge in her companion's eye.

Fish caught onto her cover up quite easily. This girl was well, simply a girl to her. She hadn't fully adjusted to the mob life, and Fish saw the innocence in her still. She could also see the hunger in the girl's eyes as the green orbs took in Fish's outfit. The club owner smiled brightly before standing. "I am sure I have just the thing. Come along now girl, I will have you looking proper for your man. He will hardly be able to control himself once I am finished with you."

"Thank you, Miss Mooney." Hestia said happily as they stood from the table.

"Please, my friends call me Fish."

Hestia caught that hungry purr in her newly found friend's voice as they headed off towards a hallway. "Fish it is." She complied as they continued down the carpeted hall. As they came close to the end of the hall, Fish opened an ornate door before allowing Hestia to enter. The door acted almost like the one to Narnia, but instead it was a room full of clothing of different styles and colors. A wall at the far right carried dangerous heels, accompanied by a wall of clutches and purses galore. Fish walked a circle around the young doctor, her eyes taking in her appearance.

"Stilettoes." Fish murmured as she took in the doctor's height. "You are blessed with such fierce, fiery hair, so I am thinking a nice green or purple dress to compliment that." Hestia was surprised by Fish's fashion knowledge, but she also remembered all of the wonderful ensembles that her performers wore in the club. Fish's heels clicked across the tile towards a rack of dresses. She slid a hand over the soft, silky fabric of an ankle length dress. She pulled it, along with a few others from the rack before laying them gently over the back of a chair. "Nails, please."

Hestia held her hands, palms facing towards the ground, in front of her for the woman to see. "I haven't done them in a while…" She shyly spoke as the woman before her clicked her tongue at the doctor.

"I can see that. We have some work ahead of us. What time is your date?"

"I need to be home and ready by eight."

Fish pulled up the left sleeve of her half jacket and checked the time. "That gives us four hours to get you in your best shape. I have always enjoyed a challenge." Her coy smile made Hestia nervous as she looked around the room.

-{X}-

Hestia stood close to her door, her hands smoothing out her dress. She felt like a completely different person now that Fish was finished with her. She had graciously thanked the woman with a warm embrace before she was shooed off in a cab. They cut it close with Hestia making it home at exactly 7:45. The pair had decided on a floor length mermaid cut dress. It was a deep palatine shade, and the top left her shoulders and neck exposed in an off-the-shoulder neckline. To keep her from being too exposed, Fish had leant Hestia a white pearled matinee necklace, along with matching earring and bracelet. The dress left her feeling exposed, however, since it left most of her back visible. _"He'll see them sooner or later dear, might as well embrace them."_ Fish's words of encouragement echoed through her mind as she practiced walking without stepping on her dress.

She had decided on a pair of the dangerous, strappy heels to close some of the height difference between herself and her soon to be date. She examined her newly manicured French tips before looking over her makeup in a mirror once more. Fish had turned her into a different person with most of her hair in an up-do, with a few strands elegantly curled to still leave her face with a slight frame. Fish had also had the hair dresser give Hestia bangs to help frame her face in a softer manner.

Her stomach knotted as the doorbell rang, and after giving herself a mental pep talk, she placed her hand on the knob. It turned with a click, and his scent wafted through her door frame. Her heart hitched up into her throat as she took in his tuxedoed frame, his own eyes examining the woman before him. "You look very handsome." Hestia finally spoke.

Victor spoke in a low tone before offering an arm out to her, "You look different."

She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad different to him, since his face didn't reveal any clues. She decided not to read too far into it as she wrapped an arm around his. He led her out to a black four door, and he opened her passenger door to allow her to climb in. He had noticed the open backing of the dress as she slid into the vehicle, and he paused only to make sure her skirt didn't get caught in the door before he closed it. He ventured to his side of the vehicle and quietly drove off towards their destination. "You are wearing perfume. It's new."

Hestia giggled lightly from nerves before looking at him. "I hope it isn't too much."

His right hand rested on her thigh causing her heart to beat blindly against her rib cage. "It is a pleasant smell." His fingers moved absentmindedly over the fabric of her dress as he mused aloud. "That dress fits you perfectly. I didn't realize you had such a wardrobe."

"I went shopping with a friend." She lied quickly before resting her hand on his. This was a new experience for her, given that she hadn't gone on a date in a few years. She hadn't even known anyone to go out with in this capacity. He had calmly taken her hand in his own as he made his way to their destination. As they got close Hestia noticed the line growing outside of the door. Her heart sank a little. "Oh, we might not be able to get in."

A noise came from Victor's chest in a grunt like fashion. "Don't worry. I have reservations." He turned a corner and parked behind the restaurant. His fingers left hers as he turned off the car. She moved her hand to open the door. "Stay. I will open it for you."

While he seemed so aggressive, he was still polite. He was quickly on her side of the car, and soon his hand was reaching in to help her out. He rested a palm at the small of her back as he led her towards the front of the restaurant. Once they turned the corner, he held an arm out to her, and she graciously wrapped her own around his again. They approached the door, and a man at the front of the line looked angrily at the couple. "The back of the line is back there buddy."

Zsasz snapped a fierce glare in his direction, causing the man to stop before he could make another statement towards them. He then turned his attention smoothly to the suited man at the door. "Victor Zsasz, for two."

The suited man quickly shuffled through the papers on his clipboard until he came across the name. He checked them off the list and opened the door. "Right this way, they'll get you seated. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Zsasz." The couple walked into the restaurant, leaving the man at the front of the line in a fit of rage.

Hestia's eyes danced around the restaurant as she took in the environment. She had been to places similar to this before, but nothing so beautifully designed as this. They were led over a marble floor and around an intricate fountain before being led out to the main dining hall. It was already packed with other people. Hestia recognized a few as politicians and other important figures in Gotham. They were led to a table in a somewhat secluded area, and Victor pulled the chair out for Hestia, and after she had taken her seat, he pushed her in keeping care in not ruining the skirting of her dress. Once he was sure she was comfortable situated he sat across from her, and a waiter quickly greeted them and poured a sample of their nightly wine into their glasses. He also set down a small plate of antipasto in between the two of them. "I'll return to take your order in a few moments."

Hestia's eyes scanned over the menu at the expanse choices. She occasionally glanced up at Zsasz to find him staring at her. His menu was already rested upon the table top. "You already know what you want?" She asked, disbelief echoing in her tone. "They barely opened tonight, and you already made up your mind?"

Zsasz lifted his wine glass as he inhaled the rich scent of the wine. He took a small sip before making eye contact with her. "I ordered for us when I made the reservations to ensure we wouldn't have much waiting time."

Her hands slowly lowered her menu to the table top, a slight look of offense dancing to her features. How could he possibly know what she wanted? She lowered her napkin lightly over her lap before looking across the table at him. "I supposed I will let that slide for our first date."

"I assure you that I ordered the best for us tonight. I am sure you will enjoy the meal, I just didn't want to waste any of our time together this evening." He took another sip of his wine slowly before resting the glass upon the table. "Why did you decide to become a doctor?"

"My parents were doctors, and so they felt it best that I follow in their footsteps. However, I took a slightly different course than they did. My father was a psychiatrist, and my mother a psychologist. It worked out well for the two of them to work together. I decided to study emergency medicine and surgical critical care. I returned to Gotham to help those that may not be able to seek care from a hospital. I am actually considering asking Falcone if he would allow me to hire a few psychologists and psychiatrists to expend my practice. I cannot offer much on the mental health side of doctoring as of right now."

Victor looked over her features slowly, his eyes only stopping to linger at her exposed neck. As she finished speaking, his eyes returned once again to her face. "My parents came from money, and you already know what happened to them."

Hestia took this as her turn to sip on her wine, the liquid dancing through her taste buds. She kept her eyes on his face, however as he spoke. He was clean shaven, and the candle light from their table flickered lightly against the skin on his head. She hadn't realized he had finished speaking completely as she stared at him. She had started to become lost in the low roll of his voice, the tone so crisp and sure. "Do you want me to arrange a time for you to meet with Don Falcone, or would you like me to relay your wants for your clinic to him? I am sure he wouldn't have any issues with you improving your practices. However, he did find you a few other doctors to help lessen the load for you."

She snapped back to the conversation calmly. "I think it would be better if I met with him. That way I could explain the importance of my requests. I know that he has been very kind about our agreement so far, and I don't want to abuse that, but I am thinking of what is best for my patients. Many of them are unable to find affordable care, and others are unable to go to more traditional institutions."

The two made small talk as their night continued on, and after they completed their shared desert, he stood to pull her chair out for her once again. They walked arm in arm again towards the exit, and Hestia could feel a great number of the other diners staring at them as they exited. A few whispers caught her ear. _Who is that? Why is she with Zsasz? Doesn't she know?_ The only person she made eye contact with was the pale eyed umbrella boy. His smile fell in surprise at the couple as they walked past his table. He was obviously there with others, but Hestia made a point of not making eye contact with any of his companions. She could hear the lioness' laugh somewhere nearby, and the well-spoken voice of her boss. She heard a pause from him, surely he had noticed the pair.

She suddenly felt very small, but she kept her head held high as her eyes disconnected from Oswald's, her stride confidently matching Zsasz's. She was starting to learn that if she was going to work in this world, and be a part of this jungle, she knew she had to grow some fangs. She stiffened her gaze as they passed another table, with only one man that she recognized. They didn't make eye contact, and he didn't notice the couple, but she felt that if he had, their exit might have gone differently. Salvatore Maroni was speaking rather loudly, a half empty wine glass in front of him. He owned a restaurant, what was he doing at this one? Zsasz's arm tightened a bit around hers as he quickened their pace.

They were soon climbing into his vehicle, and she could tell that his teeth were grinding. His jawline became more defined as he inhaled sharply. She wasn't sure where this sudden anger came from, but she shuffled nervously in her seat. His hand placed itself on her thigh again, this time the touch more involved than earlier. "I am not taking you back to your place. There are too many people there."

She blinked quietly at him as he turned into a nicer part of town. He was soon pulling up the driveway of one of the nicer homes in the area. He pulled into the garage and was once again on her side of the car to let her out. They entered his home through a door in his garage. She had always expected him to live in a small apartment, maybe even a studio since he didn't seem like the kind of person to have much company over. He had an open kitchen that dwarfed her own, and then they passed through what she assumed was a darkened living room. She was suddenly becoming nervous as his hand was wrapped tightly in her own. He knew his way through the dark, and her heart pounded as she was led through unfamiliar territory.

He paused only to unlock two large doors. He flipped on a light and turned to face his guest. Her hands were nervously straightening her dress, her eyes looking quickly around his room. There was another set of doors across the room to her right that seemed to lead out to some sort of balcony, and two other single doors on the left side of the room, probably leading to a bathroom and a closet. The carpet was dark in color, possibly a dark red from the low lighting in the room. There was a dresser close to her, the wood matching the doors from what she could tell. Her eyes stopped on the bed across the room from them. At the foot of it, a two person ottoman rested. The ottoman contrasted against the darkness of the room with its snowy appearance.

He waited for her to finish her examinations as he stepped out of her way to allow her to venture into the room. His bed was large with four posts, black curtains pulled back around each of the sides with the snowy white colored ropes. She stepped towards the bed, her hand gently touching the post closest to her, she could feel a design carved into it, but the lighting was too low for her to clearly make out what it was. The comforter on his bed matched the curtains, and the sheets peeked out in a pale white shade. He had two pillows on each side of the bed, with one throw in the center. She knew that he was a meticulous person, but his room seemed a little more fashionably aware than what she pegged him for.

She walked towards the double doors on the side of the room and opened them. He walked behind her slowly as she walked out onto the balcony. It was made of stone, and she looked up at the moon above them. The stars were a little more visible here than from her home back in the heart of the city. Her hands moved over the cold stone as she looked out into the small woods behind his house. She couldn't see much in the darkness, but the breeze helped her calm her nerves. He moved close to her, her pale skin illuminating in the darkness. His hands moved slowly down her sides as he trailed kisses down her exposed neck before they wrapped around her. She melted into his hold until they fit against each other, and she inhaled his cologne slowly.

His kisses became more wanting against the nape of her neck, and the nerves began to creep up in her stomach. She made her mind up quickly however, and turned in his arms until she faced him entirely. She moved her hands across his chest and up around his neck to pull her face closer to his. They stopped inches from each other, their eyes connecting. He had a different type of gaze in this moment, and she felt her knees go weak. He closed the space between them by placing his lips against her. At first they were careful to help her ease into this dance, but soon they became greedier and hungry as they moved from her mouth and across her jaw to her neck. This time he left soft bites down her exposed neck, her skin shuddering in goosebumps. A small moan escaped her lips, and he bit once more harder before lifting her up. He sat her down on the balcony ledge, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him.

She had an odd sense in the back of her mind at this scene. She hadn't been intimate in a while, and she was worried about the consequences the morning would bring. His body fit itself in between her thighs as his heat spread to her body. He was thankful for her exposed shoulders as he turned his attention to kissing this unexplored flesh. Her hands worked carefully at his jacket's buttons. As soon as the next layer was free, she began to remove those buttons as well. Her hands soon found themselves touching against his bare skin. Her fingers found the rough texture of scabs along with a few smoothed over scars. She moved to return his kisses by placing gentle lips against his chest. Her fingers moved over his scars in curiosity and his hips moved against hers, causing a different feeling to take over her nervousness.

The two took their time warming up before he lifted her to carry her to his bed. He set her down right in front of his bed and she quickly turned to allow him to kiss over her shoulders and for his hands to move over her own scars. She began to slip off her dress, and his hands reached out to firmly grasp her wrists. He spun her to face him again and after letting her wrists drop to her sides, he began to remove the dress from her form. She felt vulnerable as she was exposed to him, his body pressing against her as he began to devour her nerves, their bodies lowering to his bed.

The jingle of his belt echoed into the room as he removed the last few articles of clothes from his body. His hands worked precisely to remove her strappy heels, and they thumped somewhere else across the room. He pushed her frame towards the center of his bed, and he climbed up after her. One of his hands moved up her stomach slowly, and soon he was grasping one of her breasts, his thumb gently moving over her nipple. Her breathing hitched as he lowered himself between her thighs once more. He entered slowly, her body becoming acquainted with his size and this feeling again. Gentle moans came from the doctor as Zsasz moved between her legs. Much like their kisses, he became greedy and his pace quickened.

He wrapped an arm under her to arch her back, and she began to move to his pace with him. Foreign sounds came from her as he took her as his own, her hands touching him here and there as she became lost in his warmth, and he began to allow low rumbles to come from his chest. She wanted to become closer to him as she wrapped her legs around his hips. This caused him to suddenly roll onto his back with Hestia in tow. She rocked her hips as she rode him, trying to keep the pace that he had placed for them. Every ounce of nerve that she had earlier in the evening had been dissipated with each touch from Victor, and she allowed herself to become lost in him.

His fingers kept a firm grip upon her hips and soon she felt a sensation growing inside of her. Her head tipped back as she let out a series of moans, a mixture of simple noises and words. They continued until they reached a peak with her letting out a breathless gasp, and the rumbling coming from his chest. She let her head rest against his chest, their breathes easing into each other as she giggled softly. One of his hands had moved to her hair and he rolled a lock between his fingers, the texture soft against his fingertips. Much of her hair had come loose from their activities and it now sprawled out over his chest and some tickled against his cheek. He carefully lifted her up and had her stand as he pulled back the covers on his bed.

She hadn't realized quite how soft the bed was or how smooth the sheets were against her skin until she was close to drifting off. She entered a dream state as she inhaled his scent again, his fingers carefully playing with her hair.


	9. Chapter 9: The Visitation

**Chapter Nine: The Visitation**

Hestia's eyes blinked open slowly as the sound of birds cried out through the room around her. She rubbed her eyes gently as she sat up, her eyes slowly coming into focus as she looked at the sheets around her. She had almost forgotten where she had spent her night, and she looked around for her date only to be met with running water behind one of the closed doors in the room. She tip toed towards the bathroom and found Victor standing under the source of the running water. Steam had filled the room, and it seemed as if he had just gotten in not too long ago.

Her arms had covered her exposed breasts as she made her way to the shower, and she slowly opened the sliding glass door and stepped in. She closed it carefully and stepped closer to him and to the warm water. The walk to the bathroom had been freezing, and she wanted to become warm again. "Victor?" She spoke carefully, and he was soon facing her. "May I join you?"

A slight chuckle came from his throat. "You're already in here, aren't you?" He reached out and pulled her closer, the water trickling over her body leaving trails of magma along her frozen skin. He placed a careful kiss upon her forehead and allowed his eyes to look down into hers. They were bright this morning, and she looked well rested compared to their last few meetings. She smiled up at him, and he took in this new sense of vulnerability from her. He ran a hand down her back before reaching for a bottle of soap nearby. He began to wash her carefully, and she stood with her hands cradled over her stomach. This was a new sensation for her as he carefully lathered her up to wash away last night's activities.

After she had been properly cleaned, she took her turn to wash him. The two were silent as their careful touches spoke for them. He was meticulous even in this as it seemed as if he made sure to touch every inch of her. It soon turned into the passionate touches from last night, and Hestia was soon pressed against the wall with his hands on her hips again as he moved in and out of her again. As they were in the middle of recreating last night's activities they were both startled as Zsasz's ring tone echoed off the walls of the bathroom. He groaned angrily before picking up his pace. The ring tone soon subsided, and he stopped only to turn her around. A hand rested against her neck as he pulled her closer to kiss her turned face. Her breasts pressed against the cold tile wall, and she writhed against him as he became more possessive of her.

Another interruption of his phone prompted him to finish soon, and he held her to let her shaking legs steady themselves after they had finished. They cleansed themselves off and he turned off the water to quickly grab a towel. He dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist. He removed a towel from a cabinet for her, and once he was sure she was out of the shower safely he took the phone off the bathroom counter, his jawline tight from annoyance before he dialed a number and stepped out into his bedroom. She listened as his voice rolled in the room next to her, but she continued to dry herself quickly in case he had to leave. He entered the bathroom to brush his teeth, and he stared back at her through the mirror. She moved out into his room and soon returned with a toothbrush from her clutch.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly after noticing this before he spit the paste from his mouth. He followed with mouth wash, and she began to brush her teeth as well. "I have business to attend to. I can either take you home before I go take care of it, or you can spend a few hours here to rest and I can return for you later."

She brushed slowly as she considered the two alternatives. She spit the paste from her mouth and also followed with some mouthwash. He watched her, and she could see the impatience tightening his jaw. "I think I should get back to the clinic, just in case."

She rinsed her toothbrush and followed him out into his bedroom. She moved to put on her dress again, but he stopped her. He walked to his dresser and removed a pair of pajama pants and a regular shirt. He handed them to her, and she slowly slipped them on. The shirt was more like a dress on her due to their height difference and the pants were a little long for her. She tied the strings from the pants to keep them from falling off, and she sat at the edge of his bed as he dressed. He had a routine for preparing for work, and her eyes tried to take in every detail from the way he buttoned his shirt to the way he straightened his cuffs. As he neared the end of his dressing routine, she decided to gather her belongings. She carefully laid out her dress and placed her shoes neatly nearby. She pulled a comb from her clutch and tried to tame her locks as best she could without her brush.

She tucked her underwear into the pocket of the pajama pants and stood to collect her belongings in her arms. He was silent as she followed him through the house back out to the garage. She placed her items into the backseat and then climbed into the cool leather of the front seat, and she brought her legs up to her chest before resting her head against the window. He was quick to back out of his garage and they were soon headed back towards the city. The woods around his house looked expansive, and she caught the tail end of a deer as it hid from the rest of their world. She began to wonder what he did for the mob exactly, but once she remembered the tallies over parts of his body, she knew exactly in her heart what he was.

Surprising herself, she simply shrugged it off. Of course she was bothered by it, but what did she expect when she began to get tangled up in this lifestyle? Victor had turned on the radio to a classical station, and she started thinking of her family. The song echoed into her mind, and she recalled her mother squeezing lemons for summer lemonade. She had always taken such care not to get seeds in the beverage, and it was always the perfect consistency of sweet and sour. The butterflies from their garden flew past her memory banks, leaving trails of hypnotizing colors, and soon Hestia was off remembering summer days.

"Hestia." Victor's voice was abrupt and sharp. The colors from her mind disappeared and she looked around. "I am going to be late if you don't get out."

She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek before recovering her items from the backseat. "I'll see you soon then. Have a good day." As she went to close her door she stopped to face him again. "Be safe in your business."

He didn't acknowledge this as she closed the door. How long had she been staring out of the window like an idiot? What if he had tried to speak to her all that time…? Her chest deflated in a sharp sigh and she entered into her home. She decided to quickly get dressed and she folded Victor's pajamas carefully and left them at the foot of her bed. Today was definitely going to be a simple pony tail kind of day. She dressed in some casual business clothes and decided that she would wash Victor's clothes later on, but first she needed to take the dress to the drycleaners. As she made her way down the street, she kept letting her time with Victor flood through her mind. What if she had made a mistake? She took a glance at her phone. No text, no call. She shrugged, maybe he would wait a day or so before contacting her.

" _You're being so stupid_." She muttered aloud to herself. She was probably getting all worked up for nothing. She was an adult, and he was an adult, and they did adult things. He never gave her promises of being inclusive with her, and he probably had other "coworkers" to keep himself busy with. She decided that she would just enjoy the time that they had last night, and the feelings it gave her. She opened the door of the drycleaners with a small smile on her face. "I need this dry cleaned pleased But you must be careful, I borrowed it from a friend. She would kill me if anything happened to it."

The man behind the counter assured that it would be taken care of and that he would call her once it was completed. They parted with a casual goodbye and she was back off towards work. She enjoyed the energy she had today, and so she took a slightly longer path. She stopped to pick up a newspaper and some coffee, and she glanced over the headline. The Waynes were murdered? She recalled them vaguely. Her parents had been to a few of their fundraisers, and they would gush over how they were friends with the couple. However, she knew deep down that her parents' invitations were more than likely out of politeness.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for their murder. She didn't understand why, but it seemed so strange to her. She continued her walk up to her clinic, and paused to give some change to a gentleman playing trumpet across the street from her facilities. He gave her a nod as he continued blaring out a melody to anyone that would listen. As she entered the waiting room, she noticed how full it was and decided to check for any messages that she might have received while she was away. There was only one from an old patient of hers. He had gotten out of prison recently, and wanted to know if he would still be a doctor for him. She notified the front desk to contact him and set up an appointment.

After that she thumbed through the files for the patients in the lobby. She went in order of first come, first serve, along with her fellow doctors. By the end of her day her feet ached and she had lost most of the energy that her partner had supplied her with from the night before. She still went back to the dry cleaners when he contacted her ten minutes before closing, and with the other borrowed items in hand, she headed off for Fish's. There wasn't a line yet, but that was probably because there was still a little sun in the sky. She entered the building quietly to find Fish watching a warm up performance. She gave cues as the performers danced along, and at the end she gave them a hearty clap. "They are going to _adore_ you tonight."

Hestia waited until all the performers were heading to the back before she approached Fish. "I brought back my outfit from yesterday. I am very thankful you allowed me to use it." She held out the dry cleaned dress to her, the heels dangling from the fingers of her other hand. The lioness before her flashed a smile before snapping over her shoulder. The large man from yesterday was soon by her side. "Butch, would you be a dear and put these away? I want to visit with my friend for a moment." The young doctor's skin crawled with goosebumps as she heard that murderous purring come from the undertones of her voice. "How did your date go? Did he enjoy the outfit?"

Fish's sharp nails carefully grasped the stem of her wine glass. Her deep red lipstick decorated the rim closest to her, and her eyes gave Hestia a knowing look. "We shared a wonderful dinner and then he took me home."

"His or yours?" The club owner tipped her nose up slightly as she sized up the red head before her. She was on the prowl and this inexperienced prey was just too innocent for her to let slip away.

The doctor's green orbs took a dark tone as she locked eyes with the lioness before her. She pondered her answer carefully, but didn't want to leave Fish too much time to come to conclusions. She licked her bottom lip playfully before tilting her head to the side. "We went for a stroll in the woods and then he was the perfect gentlemen and he took me home to my house. He kissed my cheek at the door, and I went to bed about an hour after he left. I wanted to read a few chapters from a book, because I am so close to finishing it."

The lioness licked her canines in response before taking a step towards her. "I thought you said your date was somebody I didn't know. You know that I know Zsasz, my girl, because he was here the night you met with Falcone."

"That must have slipped my memory." Hestia made herself laugh in an aloof manner as she touched Fish's elbow gently with the palm of her hand.

Fish rose an eyebrow at the girl before smiling coyly. "You know it is funny you say that he was a perfect gentleman. From what I have heard, he is quite the contrary. He's known to uh, you know." She let the words roll off her lips in a playful manner as if the two were just a pair of girls in middle school discussing a mutual crush on their teacher.

Hestia simply smiled as she thought of her response. "Well, perhaps I made a bad impression, or maybe you've might've heard some incorrect information." She moved her hand from Fish's elbow before licking the corner of her mouth. "I should probably get back. We had a busy day today, and I need to finish filling out some case work to keep patient forms up to date. Maybe I will stop by sometime and we can have some lunch or something. I did enjoy our time together yesterday, and maybe I will pick up on some styling tips from you. God knows I need them."

The lioness was disappointed. She had been ready to strike, her fangs dripping with venomous words. Instead she calmed her inner hunger before leaning forward and kissing the doctor's cheek. "Oh, stop by anytime. It is always good to meet up with friends. Have a good night, Dr. Zaqar."

"Well, _my_ friend's call me Hestia." Her green eyes gave a wink before she turned to exit the club.

"Hestia it is."


	10. Chapter 10: Learning the Hunt

**Chapter Ten: Learning the Hunt**

It had been four days since Hestia heard from Victor, and she had began to give up any hope that he had any intentions to contact her in the first place. She had just finished a simple meal of homemade shrimp scampi, and her hands worked to carefully place dishes into the dishwasher. She could still smell his cologne on her, even after the showers between then. She had even washed his scent from his now clean pajamas. They sat still on a desk in her home office, still wrapped in a white patient's bag. She hadn't had many night visitors lately, and this allowed her to catch up on other hobbies, such as completing the reading of a few books and learning a few new yoga poses. She pondered the idea of going out tonight, given that it was a different doctor's turn to work the midnight shift.

Before she came to her own decision, she received a phone call. It was from Amy. She was trying to get the girls together to go to Fish's or some other nightclub, but they were taking a vote as to where. Hestia gave her vote easily as she strolled into her bedroom. She had an hour to get ready, so she decided leaving her locks down would suffice as she painted her face and dressed in a dark green cocktail halter top dress. She wore her uncomfortable shoes again and spritzed on the perfume she had purchased just days ago. Tonight she would forget about Victor Zsasz and have fun with her friends while she had the time to. She walked the few blocks over and started to pull out money for her entry fee. The man at the door pushed her hand away and gestured for her friends to enter. "But, the cov—"

"Friends of Miss Mooney's get in for free. Enjoy your evening, Miss Zaqar."

Her friends seemed to gawk at her in a mixture of annoyance and jealousy. She shrugged at them as they made their way to a table. Tonight seemed to have a swing kind of theme, and Hestia was itching to make it to the dance floor at some point. Her friends wanted to enjoy a few drinks before they headed off, and so Hestia obliged. She started her night off with a rum and coke, following with a shot of some liquor with her friends. Once they had started to warm up and joke around they made their way to the dance floor.

Hestia tried to follow the movements of her friends as they took turns dancing to each other. They knew the dance style a little more than she did. She had wasted her time on the Waltz with her parents. At least, she felt that way since she hardly ever used it. At some point the music seemed to change into a pace that she was more in tune with. After all, she did enjoy to party in college. They had a few more drinks at their table, and it was enough to give Hestia that floaty feeling as she grinded against her friends.

Fish had been coyly watching the doctor from afar, her hunger growing in her stomach. She pulled Oswald aside and whispered something in his ear as Hestia found a different dance partner. The man had approached her and she was more than eager to take up his dance offer. They kept a distance at first as they just enjoyed the beat, but as the songs changed, the closer they got. Soon his hands were on her hips as she grinded against him, sweat beading on her neck. Her own hands moved through her hair in attempt to look a little more appealing and to try and cool herself off. He leaned in and attempted to say something in her ear, but before Hestia could answer, Fish was approaching her quickly.

The club owner leaned in towards Hestia and hissed in her ear. "I would stop this behavior right this instant. He's here."

The red head was confused as she and her partner continued to dance, as she tried to process what had just been told to her. Before it finally clicked in her mind, Victor was on the dance floor, his eyes locked onto hers as he reached her. His hands shot out, one pushing the other man away, the other grasping tightly onto Hestia's forearm. The grip was bruising as he pulled her from the floor and off towards the hall. Hestia turned her head to look at the lioness still on the floor, her smile all knowing. Victor pulled her through the hot building, the alcohol dulling her senses lightly as they made their way out of the back door.

She stumbled lamely to his pace, a few attempts to get him to slow down proved fruitless. As soon as they were out in the cool air of the alley, he snapped around, his other hand grasping her other arm. She looked dazed into his eyes as he stood, his chest raising and falling rapidly as his jaw twitched. "Victor?" She finally spoke and his nostrils flared at the sound of her voice.

"The way you were behaving tonight is _unacceptable_." He loosened his grip only slightly as he waited for a response.

Hestia was left in a state of bewilderment. " _My_ behavior? I haven't hear a peep out of you in days. I just figured that you were one of _those_ kinds of guys." She had moved her face closer to his to focus through the alcohol vision she currently possessed. "I've heard about it you know? How you apparently just sleep around. So let's talk about _your_ behavior." One of her arms slipped from his grasp as she jabbed a finger against his chest.

Victor growled low in his throat before taking control of her free arm again. "I was working, and I wasn't able to come by. And you shouldn't believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from poor sources." He attempted to remain calm as he watched the red head before him squirm under his grasp.

Before she could answer, the purring of the lioness echoed through the air. "Are you two alright? I came to bring the little one some water and to return her clutch." She offered a glass out to Hestia, and Victor allowed the influenced red head to take it from her while he snatched the clutch from her claws.

"We are fine. Leave us." Victor hissed through his clenched teeth. Hestia worked on drinking the water, the cooling liquid tingling through her body.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. Want me to call a cab for the two of you?"

Victor answered by taking the empty water glass and thrusting it towards Fish's chest. The club owner scoffed at him as Victor wrapped one of Hestia's arms over his shoulder, while he stooped to snake and arm around her waist. He started to lead her out to the street, leaving Fish to stand in the cool fall air. She smiled deviously at his back as she turned on her heels to head back in to attend to her club. Victor helped Hestia make her way back the few blocks before using the keys from her clutch to open the door to her housing unit. He locked the door behind them and moved to carry her bridal style to her room. He plopped her upon her bed and he tossed her clutch into a chair in the corner of her room.

She had sobered up a bit on the way home as she realized the impending trouble she may have caused herself. Her eyes fell on the top of his head as he kneeled down to remove her shoes before he looked up at her. Her eyes were dark and heavy as they made eye contact, and he sighed. "I am not good at sharing." He finally spoke as he straightened out his posture.

Hestia gently took one of his hands and turned it over to trace the lines on his palm. "I just assumed that you were done with me after I didn't hear from you. I didn't mean to embarrass you or cause you any trouble tonight, I just honestly decided that I didn't want to get let down again." Her fingers continued to loop on his palm as he stood there, watching. She suddenly recalled his clothing in the other room and so she slipped off the bed carefully, allowing his hand to fall back to his side. "I have something for you."

He stood in the middle of the room as he heard her shuffle around in the other room. He heard a few distinct unpleasant words as a few thumps came from the other room. She returned a moment later, rubbing her elbow as she grasped a bag between her fingers. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and examined her elbow. "I just bumped it on the desk is all. I hit my not so funny bone."

He took the bag from her as she extended it, and he glanced inside. The bag smelled like her, probably due to her laundry soaps. It was flowery and almost reminded him of the woods outside his home. He placed the bag on her dresser as she began to undress, her fingers still under the little effects of the alcohol left in her system as they fumbled with the zipper on the back of her dress. He reached forward and helped her, the dress falling to the floor leaving her only in a slip. She looked towards her bathroom door as she debated taking a shower, and as if he read her mind, he began to slip off his suit jacket.

By the time they reached her bathroom they were both nude, and he was already lowering her into a warm shower. He carefully washed her, and he kissed over where his fingers had held her so tightly. She rested against him as the water removed the suds from their bodies, taking most of the night's unpleasentries to the sewers with the rest of the shit where it belonged. She allowed him to dry her off at the end of the shower, and then he was pulling back the covers on her bed. She climbed in and he walked over to close her bedroom door and to shut off the light, and she felt the bed give way under his weight as he moved in to lay next to her.

He quickly warmed the covers with his body heat, and she sought him out as she tangled her limbs in his. A yawn escaped her lips as his fingers worked calmly through her hair. "Victor, what are we then? Just dating? A couple? Friends with benefits?" Her voice was quiet and nervous as she traced over a few of his tally marks.

His voice rolled through his chest as he answered. "You are mine, take that as you will." She left a kiss on his chest in return, and interlocked her fingers into one of his hands.

"Then I shall behave so."

A twisted grin played at the corners of his mouth at her answer, but it fell quickly at her next question. "So why were you there tonight?"

He sighed in a bored manner. "Mooney was most likely trying to stir up trouble. She had her sniveling weasel call me about you. She probably saw us at the restaurant the other night. Falcone has spoken to me about it as well."

She leaned to look at his face in the darkness, one of her arms gently propping her up. "Is it going to be an issue? If so, I don't want you to be in any trouble, Victor."

"You're already in trouble. You were seen with me, and whether you like it or not, along with your deal with Falcone, you have blatantly taken the side between the families. I don't worry about the thoughts of others about me, but you must be careful how you conduct yourself."

She stayed silent at his response before touching his face gently. "You have my word that I won't embarrass you like that again. I just wasn't sure of our—standing prior to tonight…" She leaned in and placed her plump lips against his and kissed him slowly.

After a few moments passed she laid back down and wrapped back up in his heat, allowing her heavy eyes to close as she thought of what the future might hold in store for them.

 **((Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in posting. I typically write out four or five chapters at a time, and then go through and revamp them as I see fit. Let me know what you all think as it goes along** **J** **Thank you for reading.))**


	11. Chapter 11: The Stronghold

**Chapter Eleven: The Stronghold**

 **(** **Author's Note: It does get violent in this chapter, not domestic violence, but of course, Victor involved violence.)**

The newspapers over the past few weeks had held varying amounts of strange occurrences, even for Gotham. First the Wayne Murders, then a couple of crazy loons went around snatching children. Of course Hestia couldn't forget the Balloon Man, and to follow that end up, the deaths of Gotham City Councilmen placed the city on edge. She also found that her office was much busier these days with checkups and parents wanting their children to be all caught up on their shots. She also began to receive more of Falcone's men over late nights, and so she was starting to get worn down. Victor came around every few days or so to collect inventory and to check up on the status of some of Falcone's men.

Their relationship was a strange one for her, given that they never talked on the phone, and he always seemed to appear at random times. She thought of him as she scrubbed her hands to attend to a late night visitor. One of Falcone's men approached her. "You might wanna be careful, this guy seems strange."

Hestia pulled nitrile gloves over her fingers before making eye contact with him. "That is what I have you guys for, isn't? Just… be prepared I suppose." As she entered the room, she could tell what the man had attempted to warn her about. This gentleman was pacing the room, but he was obviously bleeding profusely from somewhere. He was muttering something as he searched through cabinets, his patience wearing thin. "Sir? I am going to need you to sit down, please. That way I can examine you."

She eyed a nurse on the other side of the corner as she slowly approached the man. She reached out to grab his shoulder and the next few moments were a whirlwind in her little operating room. The crazed patient had turned his full attention to her, and before her hand made complete contact with her, he snatched it. Hestia let out a slight whimper at the pressure now clamping down upon her wrist. He had pulled her closer, his voice reeking of spoiled milk. "More."

She flailed in the air as he easily lifted her feet from the ground, and she began to kick wildly to escape his grasp. The nurse behind him attempted to subdue him by striking the back of his head with a surgical tool tray, but the patient responded by tossing Hestia into some of the cabinets against the wall. Her head made contact with the handle of one of the cabinets, causing her eyes to water, and she was quickly trying to scramble to her feet. She heard a sickening snapping noise next to her and the nurse was dropped to the ground, his voice gurgling as he was more than likely suffering a possible punctured lung. "Help!" Hestia finally managed to call out as she attempted to crawl towards the door.

One of Falcone's men entered the room with his gun drawn, but the patient had tossed something at him, causing the man to lose consciousness. Hestia began to panic as she finally scrambled out of the door. She ran to the closest wall to her and pulled a fire alarm as she looked for a place to hide. The crazy man came out of the room yelling incoherent sentences except for the word "more." He caught a hold of the tail end of her jacket and began to pull her back towards him, so she quickly unbuttoned it and slipped back down onto the floor.

The remainder of Falcone's men had exited the break room at the commotion, obviously annoyed that their card game had to come to an end. "Run! Or shoot him! Do something!" Hestia panicked as she tried to regain her footing again. The men took a look at her, and then at the rather large man as he was causing damage to some of the furniture dotting the hallway. They then ran back into the breakroom and she heard the door slam and the lock turn. "You cowards!" She had finally managed to brace herself against the wall nearby, but she knew she had to get away from this man. The fire alarm blared through her aching head as she scrambled around the corner into the waiting room.

She shook the front door and remembered that the keys to open this door were in her jacket in the hallway. She looked around, her breath shaky and her head starting to feel heavy. She touched the side of her head and found blood at the end of her fingertips as she examined them. She removed her dress shirt to place it tightly over her wound, and noticed bruising on her arm and leg from the side that had hit the cabinet. How the hell had he thrown her that hard? She stumbled towards the front desk and climbed into the window behind it. This led to their records room, and from there, she could at least get out closer to the break room. She heard the man tossing furniture in the waiting room, so she didn't even bother with closing the metal grating to protect the records room.

Once she was out in the hallway, she went straight for the break room door, her fists pounding on the door. "Let me in, you assholes! Please! You have guns!"

"That guy is fucking crazy!"

She continued pounding on the door, her knees shaking beneath her as she heard the man losing his attention with the furniture a few rooms over. "Open the fucking door! I swear to God if I die out here, you guys will regret it!" Her knuckled were beginning to bleed as she realized that she was no longer knocking at the door, but punching it. She was desperate. Her heart almost stopped as she heard the silence in the other room, and so she turned to lock eyes with the rampaging patient as he entered the hall. She began to claw at the door. There was no way she could make it down to the next room before that thing caught up with her. "Please, open the fucking door!" Her voice was breaking as she began to sob, her nails breaking against the steel door. "Please, you fucking cowards!"

She could hear the large thumping echoing off the halls as the patient charged her, and she dropped to the floor as her hands wrapped over her head to at least attempt to protect herself. Her whole body started to feel numb as the adrenaline coursed through her, and she began to wish she had gone out with her friends this evening. Just as the man approached her, a loud clap shot through the hall, and then two more. The man fell to the ground before her, and she peeked through her fingers as he started to…crumble? "What the fuck?" She muttered as she heard a new set of footprints behind her.

She was grasped in a concerned manner, and soon hands were on her face to make her look at the newcomer. "Victor." She let her head rest into his palms as he examined her.

"Where are your guards?" His voice was demanding, and she could feel the anger seeping from him.

She didn't have to answer as he glanced up. His eyes took in the sight of her bloody handprints around the door, a pair of them sliding down the door as she had kneeled down. "They wouldn't help." She hiccupped, her voice still shaking. Her shirt had fallen to the floor during her panic, and her white tank top was soaked in blood. A few more men came down the hall from the direction of her home, along with three women dressed in very extreme clothing. "How did you know to come?"

"The company alerts myself and Falcone if the alarm is tripped. There should be an ambulance soon, and probably cops." He had left her on the floor, his hands digging into one of his pockets. He jammed a key into the break room lock and threw the door open. Two of the women from the hall followed Victor in, and soon the four other guards were dragged into the hallway. Victor kicked the back of the knees of the man he drug out. "You look at what you did." He snarled as he grabbed the man's hair, his gun jamming into the man's temple. "Do you see it?"

"Zsasz, you should have saw that thing! It was fucking crazy! We didn't even think it would do anything if we shot it! We didn't mean to lock her out, we swear." The man was now pleading as Victor bounced his head off the wall a few times.

Hestia watched carefully as the man's head smacked against the wall until the side of his head was bleeding much like her own. She moved her eyes towards Victor's, and she could see the enjoyment in them. She waited until he stopped, leaving the man to fall to the ground, obviously dazed. Victor kneeled down to place two of his fingers under Hestia's chin. He looked carefully into her eyes. "What shall I do with these cowards, Hestia? I will offer your advice to Don Falcone when he decides how they will be punished."

The young doctor moved her eyes over each of the four men. She made her face as tough as she could before answering. "Kill them."

Victor's lips curled into a grin. He was surprised by her answer, but it was a nice surprise for him. He placed his forehead against her own before turning to his assistants. "I will call Don Falcone and we shall discuss what to do with them."

"That won't be necessary Victor. I came to make sure everything was going alright. And to—" Falcone's eyes looked down the hallway. "Assess the damage of the clinic."

"Sir, it could have been dangerous for you to come."

"I appreciate your concern Victor, but this is one of my establishments, and so I had to come make sure it was still in proper order. There is a car outside to take Dr. Zaqar to the hospital. I have also made arrangements for a crew to come clean up any messes. I will contact the contractors in the morning." Falcone had made his way down the hallway, and he looked down at Hestia, his hand reaching down to touch the top of her head. "I apologize for the cowardice actions of these boys tonight. I placed them here to protect you, and now I see that my choices for your guard were incorrect. I didn't get to hear your answer to Victor's question. So, how would you like this handled."

Hestia looked up towards the older gentleman and her eyes grew dark as her brows dipped towards her nose. "I told Mr. Zsasz that he should kill them. If they weren't willing to protect me, how could they ever serve you with loyalty and respect? They couldn't even follow your orders to assist me and to offer protection if need be." She touched her wounded head again and winced from moving her arm.

The Don's experienced eyes moved over towards Victor's eager face. While Zsasz was a very calm, meticulous killer, Falcone could still catch glimmers of childlike expressions in his face. He had his moments of candid innocence. It was the reason Falcone took him in in the first place. As much as he tried to keep others from recognizing it, Victor Zsasz was like a surrogate son to him. Even in his violent nature. He continued his gaze over the faces of the terrified men. "What did they do instead of assisting you, Dr. Zaqar?"

She cleared her throat and focused her gaze back on the Don as she collected her thoughts. "That man attacked me down the hall, in the operating room. I had only tried to calm him, but he threw me against the cabinets and so I started to leave the room. He killed one of my nurses and knocked out the other guard. He was going to try and shoot the man, but he never got a chance. So I pulled the fire alarm in the hallway and then I called out for help, and they came out of the break room, took one look at what was going on, and they ran right back in. I tried to crawl away, and the patient grabbed my jacket, so I slipped out of it and went in the waiting room, except I couldn't get through that door because my keys were in my jacket in the hall, so I went into the records room and came back out into the hallway and started pounding on the door." She paused to hold her bloodied and bruised hands up for the Don to inspect. "I begged them to open the door, and I told them that that thing was going to kill me if they didn't help me. Instead of helping they simply asked if I saw how fucking crazy that guy looked. After that, they didn't answer me, so I started clawing at the door."

Victor's jaw was tightening and untightening as she recalled a brief summary of the night's events. He was boiling under his skin, and he had to at least be able to give these assholes some sort of discipline. He was careful not to display affection towards her in front of his boss, but his hands ached to make some of her pain go away. He looked expectantly up at his boss, his mind reeling with different ways to torture the guards before he would kill them. "Victor," the older gentleman spoke, his voice low, "you can do what you like to those three, but if she is willing for their lives to be taken, she must also take one herself."

The trained assassin removed one of his pistols from its holster and he carefully held it out to her. Hestia took the cold steel between her fingers and looked at the men. How could she decide which to kill? Her eyes glanced up to the Don as her body ached, and she simply wanted to get it over with so that she could go get some care and some proper rest. "Which one of you locked the door one me?" The men didn't speak, but they betrayed the culprit as two of them glanced to the man in the middle, and his eyes looked straight to the floor. She stood up as well as she could before stumbling towards him. He refused to look her in the eyes, as she placed the barrel of the gun against his forehead. "A coward even in death." She spoke as she gently pulled the trigger. The clap echoed through the hall again as his body thumped to the floor.

His head left a mess against the hallway floor as some of his blood splattered up Hestia's sleeve, with only a few drops reaching up to her neck and face. "May I go to the hospital now? I need to make sure I am not severely hurt."

Victor joined her side and took his gun away before placing it in its holster. His eyes burned into the side of her head. Where had this sudden darkness come from? He felt a surprise creep back up into him as Hestia turned towards their boss. "Of course Hestia. Make sure you are prepared to speak to the police, they'll probably meet you at the hospital. Make sure you leave out certain details."

Hestia nodded as she began to limp down the hall towards her housing unit. She could feel Victor's gaze still on her as she continued to stumble down the hall and out towards the car parked close to her front door. She made sure to keep herself awake in the back seat of the car as it took corners sharply to get her to the ER quickly. Once there, a woman came out with a wheelchair, the red emergency sign reflecting off of her blonde hair. Hestia calmly lowered herself into the wheelchair and she was taken into the emergency room for evaluation. She wouldn't get much rest that night, however, given the fact that the hospital had their fair share of aggressive patients. In the morning news, she would discover that she had met a user of Viper, some sort of obscene street drug.


	12. Chapter 12: Secrets

**Chapter Twelve: Secrets**

The next day Hestia made her way stiffly into her clinic. The left side of her head contained a shaved patch to make way for the stitches that trailed towards her eyebrow. Her lip had needed a few stiches as well. She couldn't really do much work until some of her body healed from last night's events, but she didn't want to go straight to sleep. As she walked down the hall, and into the operating room, it was almost as if last night had been a dream. Falcone's men must have worked quickly to replace what the Viper Man had damaged in his wake. She walked back out towards the waiting room to be greeted with the smell of fresh new paint. It was a light seafoam green, and the new furniture accented it nicely. The waiting room door now also had a keypad on the inside, probably to have an alternative to exiting through.

The break room door had been replaced with another steel one, however, this door had a strip of meshed glassed over the handle. The blood from last night had also been cleaned, and any traces of Falcone's guards were gone from her building. Upon returning back to her living quarters, she was met with the sight of one of the last people she would ever expect to see standing in her kitchen. "Oswald? You are supposed to be dead."

He turned at the sound of her voice, and his eyes paled at her appearance. "Did…Zsasz do that to you?"

Hestia couldn't help but laugh at his question before taking a seat at her kitchen table. "No, we had some maniac patient come barreling through last night." Her facial expression turned serious as she eyed him. "You really shouldn't be here. I never know when Victor plans to come around, and I can guarantee he'll drag you straight to Falcone, unless he decides to deal with you himself." She carefully moved her neck from side to side to try to alleviate some of her soreness. The young man paced her kitchen before turning towards her. "Well, why are you here?"

"I am working for Maroni, and I wanted to know if I could secure a deal with you to help his men. You know, as good faith for him."

Hestia rubbed her temples. "Did you specifically tell him that I am not treating his men?"

He blinked at her question before breaking into a nervous smile. "Well, I had to divulge certain information to get in his good graces. Your deal with Falcone may or may not have come up."

Hestia stood and started walking towards him. He hobbled away from her until he bumped into her counter. Her aching hands latched onto his jacket as she snarled up at him, causing her fingers to boil from the pain. "So you go to Maroni after you are supposed to be dead and you snitch out Falcone to him? Then you tell him that I am purposely not helping his men because I am working exclusively for Falcone, and then you show up, break into my home and act like it is no big fucking deal?" One of her hands retrieved a knife from a drawer. "I should kill you myself or maybe I should just call Falcone. I am in no mood to deal with this bullshit, Oswald. You need to leave, and I will act as if you were never here."

Oswald eyed the knife, not knowing where this hostility was coming from. She was usually very calm with him, and was actually one of the few to be somewhat nice and accepting towards him. "I can see that maybe now isn't the best time. I will show myself out."

Hestia felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, so she quickly opened her pantry door and shoved Oswald in before closing it. She walked over to the sink and put the knife away as she turned on the radio to a low volume. Her eyes looked towards her fridge and she opened it to make it look as if she was looking for something to eat. She soon felt his presence in the room, his cologne wafting through the door as she moved items around in her fridge.

"Have you not eaten yet?" His voice was softer than normal as he closed the space between them.

She acted surprised as she stood to face him. "I didn't hear you come in, Victor. You really shouldn't startle me since I am pretty sore still."

One of his gloved hands carefully touched the stitches on the side of her head before moving his thumb over her lip. "I haven't finished with them yet. They will pay for what they allowed to transpire to you, Hestia." He leaned in and carefully placed a kiss upon her unaffected side.

"Why don't we go out for lunch today? I think it would be nice." She carefully linked her hands with his and smiled up at him sweetly, her eyes light and playful.

"I think some rest would be better for you. I can make you something." His hand moved towards the pantry door and she grabbed his arm. His eyes looked at her in a confused state as he carefully removed her hand from his arm. "Is everything alright?" He slowly turned the knob on her pantry door, and her stomach began to fall into some deep abyss. He walked in and looked around. "Maybe I should help you shop instead. You are running rather low on food." Hestia peered over his shoulder to find her other guest missing. She shook off her confused expression before looking back at him. He had a look of deep thought in his dark eyes as he looked over her face. She was clearly hiding something. He took a step towards her and placed a gloved hand back on her face. "Are you still not adjusting to last night?"

Her eyes caught sight of the tip of one of Oswald's shoes. He had crammed himself in one of the corners of her pantry, his body hidden in the darkness. "I am fine Victor. We can go to the farmer's market and then come back and make something together."

"I only have a few hours to spare. Don Falcone allowed me some time to come make sure that you are feeling well. Do you like the adjustments he made for you?"

Hestia leaned forward and took her grocer cart from the shelf above Oswald. She linked arms with Victor and started to gently lead him away from the kitchen. One of Oswald's shoes squeaked against the shelving and Zsasz removed himself from the young red head. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and she cleared her throat. "I have been having this issue with a rat. I just can't get rid of him, maybe I should call an exterminator."

He seemed to completely disregard her presence as he drew one of his pistols. Today they were adorned with intricate swirls, and topped with silencers. He used a hand to push the door open, and Hestia almost felt like running. Who knew how upset he might be if he found out she was hiding Oswald. He listened closely to the air, allowing the radio to leave his senses. He had easily picked up on the change in Hestia's attitude since he had joined her in the kitchen, and now his suspicions were heightened. Oswald's hands had moved to his face to cover his breathing as he fought to hold his breath. As Zsasz's hand moved towards the hanging chain for the light, a loud pounding came from the front door. Zsasz's dark orbs moved towards the noise and soon his body turned as well. "Are you _expecting_ company, Hestia?"

Her locks bounced slightly as she shook her head. "Maybe it is the police, they never showed up at the hospital." He nodded for her to go to the door, his feet moving quietly behind her. She approached the door slowly, her anxiety already askew given her other visitor still hiding in the pantry. "Who is it?"

"Falcone wants to speak with you. Are you feeling well enough to join him for brunch?"

Zsasz's jaw stiffened at the sound of the voice. Why would he send that _witch_ when he knew that he was already with Hestia? His hand replaced his pistol into his holster, his jacket reconcealing the weapons. He reached over Hestia's shoulder and opened the door. Fish looked at first the girl before her, and then up towards the brooding man behind her. The large man was as usual, by Fish's side. "That guy really did a number on you, didn't he? Did you handle him, _Victor_ , or did he get away like—"

"What does he need to see her for?" Zsasz had rested a protective hand on Hestia's hip as he noticed the greedy stare that Butch was giving her.

Fish shrugged as her head tilted to the side, her coy eyes drinking in the couple in front of her. "Like I said, he wants her to join him for brunch. You could probably come along too, if you want."

Hestia felt uncomfortable between the exchanges. She wondered if this is what children felt like after their parents were divorced. The group remained quiet as Hestia readjusted her hoodie. She felt like it might be inappropriate of her to go see Falcone in her pajamas still. "May I change before we go?" Anything to get her out of this tense situation.

"We'll just meet you there." Zsasz finished the conversation as he closed the door in Fish's face. "If you don't want to go, I can call the boss and tell him you are still not feeling up to visit."

Hestia shook her head, a small smile flashing in his direction. "Well, I will get to eat, and it would be nice to just relax. I can always go grocery shopping later. Why don't you help me pick out a dress or something?"

The pair made it to her bedroom, and she was thumbing through her dresses before Zsasz eyed one in particular. She pulled it out and held it up to her body. It was a simple white dress with bright flowers blooming around the bottom of the skirt. The white seemed to make her eyes more noticeable, and her hair contrasted vibrantly. Judging by his silence, she decided this would be the outfit of choice. She laid the dress out on her bed and started to painfully remove her clothing. She allowed her jacket to simply fall to the floor, along with her pajama pants. She was dreading the removal of her tank top as she slowly pulled one arm through the strap. Then she slowly followed with her other arm. She paused as her shoulders screamed at her, and she slowly twisted her neck again, the soreness unforgiving of this movement.

Zsasz moved to her and slowly bunched the tank top together before pulling it towards the floor. He felt it would be easier than lifting it up over her head. He slipped off a glove to move his fingers carefully over the dark bruising upon her left side. He was thankful she wasn't more seriously wounded as his fingers trailed from her hip up to her ribs. She let out a painful giggle before looking up at him. "Please don't. I am ticklish." She gestured to her dress. "Will you help me put it on? We can put it on the floor, and I will step into it, and then you can pull it up for me."

His hands removed the fabric from the hanger before he placed it on the floor. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders as she stepped in one foot at a time. She winced as the dress moved up her body, and it was as if it purposely snagged against every bruise. He stepped around her to zip it up, his hand stopping to touch her scars before kissing the back of one of her shoulders. He didn't like that she made him feel this way, especially since it could be a liability to his work life. "You should just leave your hair down. I don't think I can help with that." He smiled at her back before she turned.

His smile was a very rare occasion for her to catch a glimpse of, but she always let it etch itself into her memory. She headed back towards her closet and removed a simple pair of flats from her shoe rack. His eyes trailed down and he caught sight of more bruises all the way down to her ankles. He hoped that whatever drug had done that would never resurface. Although he enjoyed violence, he preferred it to be more personal. He doubted that those crazed idiots even realized what they were doing in their influenced state. He took her hand gingerly in his own as they departed from her home.

Oswald peered through a crack in the pantry door, and as soon as he knew it was safe, he hobbled out of the back door of the housing unit. His hands still shook at his close call with Zsasz. He didn't know what would have happened to him if he had been caught, and it caused the young man to shudder.


	13. Chapter 13: Lovely Ladies

**Chapter Thirteen: Lovely Ladies**

Hestia had never been to the Falcone household. She had never even pondered what it might be like, but she still found herself surprised as Zsasz led her up the front walkway. He didn't knock, but instead entered into the foray. Her bright eyes took in her surroundings as he led her through the house and out onto a back patio. The main deck was a nice polished stone with intricate guard rails crafted from the same polished stone encompassing it. On each side of the deck were a set of stairs that led down into a garden. A fountain bubbled water off towards the center of the garden, and she waited for Falcone to appear before she even thought of sitting at the expanse glass table before them.

Fish had already taken a seat while Butch was off towards the garden with a group of other men. Zsasz had disappeared from her side, and so she wrapped her fingers with each other in front of her stomach. The table was covered in a delicate china set, with different dishes towards the center of it. They still had lids upon them, and Hestia looked over the seats around the table. There were place cards at each chair, and as she searched for her name, a hand gently touched her shoulder. "Dr. Zaqar, I am glad you could make it. I know you must have had a rough night."

Falcone's voice was gracious and she turned to greet him. "I didn't want to turn down your invitation, thank you for having me. I don't recognize any of these other names, other than Miss Mooney's."

The older gentleman's eyes looked over her outfit. He hadn't realized how long her hair was as it draped towards her lower back. He had only ever seen her with it pulled up. He gently took one of her hands in his own and kissed the top of it. She caught Victor's light scowl as he approached from the house, and she simply nodded at Falcone. "You look wonderful as always. You'll become acquainted with them soon enough. Why don't you go ahead and take your seat?"

Zsasz moved to pull out her chair and she carefully sat down upon the cushioned dark oak chair. She winced slightly as he pushed her up to the table, and he stood behind her, his hands behind his back. Falcone took a seat at the head of the table, with Fish sitting closer to him. She was in the middle of the table, and she felt very out of place. Soon other gentlemen showed up, each of them bringing a guest that would move to stand towards Butch and the other men. She crossed her hands in her lap and gave a smile and small greeting to each of the other men as they sat. She kept her confidence because she knew that this was a whole new incidence all together, and she didn't want Zsasz to be upset by her presentation.

She kept her conversations short with these new comers, and left out any personal details. The group dished out different foods from the dishes in the center of the table, and the mood was light and Hestia soon forgot about the pain that ghosted through her body. Zsasz stayed close to the table, but had moved from Hestia's back. Falcone took a few brief moments to introduce her, and she was given a few sets of thanks for the work she had done to keep much of their workers alive. Fish had placed a hand under her chin as she sipped from a glass of wine. She wondered why this ginger was sitting at the table, and she licked her malicious teeth as the meal continued.

Soon after the meal was finished, many of the guests left, leaving only Falcone, Fish, and Hestia to remain at the table. "Would you ladies care for some tea?"

"I wouldn't mind some." Hestia stated happily as she finished off her glass of water. She was feeling rather light hearted after the meal, and she was itching to know if Zsasz felt she conducted herself well. She was in the presence of his boss, after all.

Falcone called one of the men from Butch's group over, and soon the man was disappearing into the house. After a few moments of discussion a fair haired woman emerged from the home. She pushed a tray in front of her with a tea set adorning it. Hestia's light hearted feeling dropped straight through her as she eyed the woman's face. Falcone caught their exchange as they made eye contact. "Oh, do the two of you know each other?" Fish asked calmly.

Zsasz's eyes fell on the back of doctor's flames as Hestia cleared her throat. "Oh yes. Liza used to be a patient of mine. How are you? Did you end up enjoying that new doctor that I recommended you?"

Her friend blinked away her fear before setting down a cup of tea in front of Hestia. "I actually didn't end up going. I found a different one that was closer to where I moved. Are you still at the same practice?"

Falcone and Fish seemed to buy into their discussion, but Zsasz could hear the change in Hestia's voice. Liza and Hestia finished their short conversation with Liza assuring that she would stop by the clinic to catch up. After that, Liza moved back into the house, leaving her cart behind. Hestia slowly sipped her tea to avoid any questions at the current moment. Her heart pounded against her rib cage as she recalled all of her attempted calls to Liza going straight to voicemail. Liza wasn't a mob kind of girl, at least, Hestia never believed her to be. She was the nicest to her in her group of friends, and they had been through some rough patches together. They were crazy teenagers at one point, and they often got into trouble.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized that Falcone was speaking to her until Zsasz cleared his throat loudly. "Oh, yes?" She muttered as she made contact with him. "I was just enjoying the tea and listening to the fountain, my apologies."

"Victor had mentioned you wanting more help at your facilities. I decided that today would be the best day for us to discuss this." Falcone had a patient smile upon his lips as he waited for her to elaborate.

Hestia sat her tea cup down carefully before straightening herself in her seat. She inhaled slowly before returning a smile back towards the older gentleman. Fish's eyes snarled at Hestia as she waited to hear what more this girl could possibly want. "Well, I think that mental health is an important part to a human being healthy as a whole. I didn't specialize in the mental health field like my parents did, but I would like to employ two, maybe three, doctors that could see my patients in a therapy type setting. Of course, I would need to add onto the building for this, but I would really appreciate being able to take care of my patients as a holistic senses, especially since Arkham was shut down."

Falcone had placed his hands down on the table as she spoke while Fish turned her gaze to him to await for his answer. Hestia kept her eye contact with him, her smile still evident on her face as she tried to keep herself from fidgeting. "Your parents owned a practice together, right?"

"Yes, for a number of years." Hestia's smile weakened slightly at the corners of her lips as he spoke.

"So you have a deep understanding of the importance of good mental health."

"Yes, I do."

Hestia was unsure of where this conversation was going as she stared into the older gentleman's face. His features were more wrinkled than she had remembered, but his smile had faded completely. "Do you think they offered you the correct amount of mental health assistance?"

The doctor's eyes grew dark as she forced her smile to remain upon her features. Fish looked between the two, obviously confused. "I think I have a pretty good sense of my mental being, Don Falcone." She moved her hands to adjust the skirting of her dress as she moved closer to the table.

"Then why did you kill them?"

Hestia could feel Victor's gaze upon her back, and she licked her bottom lip. "I thought that we had discussed that, _Carmine_." She worked to cool her seething anger as she locked eyes with him again. Fish's mouth hung slightly open as she witnessed the sudden change in the otherwise meek doctor's behavior.

"Oh, so you haven't told Victor?" His lips had twisted in a smug sort of grin as he snapped his fingers. "You see, I am having a hard time with loyalty amongst my people lately. I need to be sure I know where you stand."

A man came from the garden with a brown paper sack. He placed it down on the table in front of Falcone, and Hestia eyed it angrily. Falcone slipped on a pair of gloves from his jacket pocket before opening the sack. He removed a small hand gun before setting it in front of the doctor. Hestia felt her stomach turn as she looked down at the cold metallic shine of the gun before her. Victor was now at the table, his eyes examining the doctor's face as her eyes darkened as she examined the weapon. She shot a glare at Fish. "Was this your idea? To prove my loyalty?"

Falcone waved a hand to stop Hestia's questions before looking the red head over again. "No, Miss Mooney has no idea the significance of this gun to you."

"Maroni." Victor suddenly muttered as he picked up the gun. "You work for Maroni?" His voice was calm, but she could see the intent in his features. He was angry and jumping to conclusions.

"I guess I should tell you since I am practically being _forced_ to." She took the gun from Victor's grasp before flipping it over to show him the initials. "I have not, nor will I ever work for that loud mouth. My father used to work for him. My father was a strongman for him. He collected debts for him, or would go give people a good scare for Maroni."

"Why don't you take a seat, Victor? This will be a long story for you." Falcone mused out loud towards the hitman. Victor took this as an order and took the chair closest to her, his body turned slightly to face her.

"After school one day, I happened to come across an incident involving some of Car—Falcone's men. They were in the middle of dealing with a couple of guys for him, and they happened to notice me. I didn't know what to do in the situation, and before I could decide on a course of action, I was being drug into the backseat of a car. I remember thinking that I was dead already and that I was simply being transported onto whatever path it is that we take when we die. Instead, we pulled up to a warehouse. I was brought inside, and that is where I met Don Falcone. He asked me how I did in school and asked me what I planned to do with my life. I informed him that I wanted to be a doctor. He told a couple of guys to take me home."

Victor was confused as to what this had to do with her murdering her parents, but he continued to listen quietly. He would keep his questions until she finished speaking to him. Fish had simply rested a hand upon her palm as the doctor spoke. "After that, I had to make sure I kept up my good grades. My idiot father got in trouble with Maroni and lost every penny we had through gambling, and so I figured my dreams of becoming a doctor were over. I got into a little trouble then… and instead of my parents bailing me out, Falcone was there for me. He bailed me out and got me my own place to concentrate on school. I handled a few smaller things for Falcone, like placing packages wherever I was told to go."

"In return, he allowed me to continue working on my path to become a doctor. He paid for me to go to college, and then to go to medical school. In the meantime, my parents continued to work out a deal with Maroni. They were desperate for money. That was all that ever mattered to them. They racked up thousands of dollars in credit card loans while I was gone. They owed all kinds of loan sharks. By the time I had returned, they made a deal with Maroni. He would take care of all of their loans, and allow my father to continue working for him, if I married his nephew."

Victor's gaze continued to look over her features as they changed with each part of her story. He rested one of his knees against her own, and she continued on. "Well, his nephew was obnoxious. Rude. He didn't want me to practice my medicine since I was going to be his stay at home baby maker," her nose scrunched in disgust as she remembered him, "plus he was a drunk. A really mean drunk. He always made sure to be careful of my face though. I had to be pretty, you know?" Hestia ran her tongue over her teeth.

"So, one day I went to my parents to tell them I wasn't going to go through with it. They didn't want to listen to a word of how Alfio treated me, and they said that I was probably over exaggerating. They didn't visit me in the hospital when he cut up my back because he didn't like an outfit that I had worn out with some of my friends. So, I decided that I would end the misery of their debts and to release me from prison at home…on my father's birthday, we went to eat at his favorite restaurant. I insisted that we did. I took my father's gun from his glove compartment box after I made up some lie about needing my purse. I came back in and we had our last meal together."

Hestia tightened her hands into the skirt of her dress as she remembered the anger inside her that day. "I shot my mother first. I didn't want her to scream if I shot one of the others before her. My father tried to get the gun, so I obviously had to shoot him next." She clicked her tongue behind her teeth. "I shot Alfie next because he tried to pull out his own weapon. Then those stupid waiters showed up, so I had to kill them as well. I couldn't leave any witnesses to speak to the police, or especially to speak to Maroni. Oswald came out, and I thought that maybe he could help me cover it up. He hadn't worked for Miss Mooney long, but I did know of him. His mother used to come to my clinic when it first opened. So, I simply wounded him. I made sure he was still able to leave, and so I wiped off my gun and had him shoot me in the arm."

Fish's eyebrow raised at this side of the doctor. She never took her as a murderer, and she was actually fairly surprised as she recalled her story. "Then I had him leave before the police arrived. He was supposed to dispose of the gun for me since I let him live. Instead, he went straight to Falcone and gave it to him. Of course, the police never expected me, especially since I was wounded myself. They figured that my father had angered Maroni again, and that was that. I went right back to practicing at my clinic again the next day. Which was why I was so surprised that he sent you and Oswald to scare me into a new deal." She shot a glare at Falcone. "Especially since I used 'take care' of a good deal of Maroni's men when they used to come in to see me."

She exhaled sharply before letting go of her dress. "There. Now Victor knows, Don Falcone. I told you that I would eventually tell him, when I felt I was ready to do so."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are, Hestia. Victor has embraced it graciously." The seasoned man assured her as he stood. He stopped to pat her shoulder. "You've been a great addition to this family, and now there are no secrets. Victor, why don't you take her home now?"

Hestia stood sharply and began to head towards the Falcone home. She didn't wait for Victor, but instead pushed through. She made eye contact with Liza as she exited out of the front door and she continued until she got to the car that Victor had brought her in. She felt betrayed by Falcone, and she fought to keep her temper when she found the car door locked. She growled low in her throat before resting her forehead against the car. She didn't want to have to tell him this way, and she had full intentions to tell him when she was ready. He calmly touched her lower back once he caught up to her, his other hand working to unlock her door.

They stood in silence for what seemed an eternity before he leaned forward. The scent of shampoo tickled against him as he lowered his lips to her ear. "Don't be angry. Now we can be completely honest with each other, can't we?" He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back from the door before opening it for her. She climbed in carefully and he shut it behind her. Their car ride was relatively quiet as they made their way through the lazy traffic back to the heart of the city.

He walked her inside and did a quick search of her living quarters, as well as a search of her practice to assure she was safe before he departed to return back to Falcone. He didn't utter another word as his back disappeared through the door.


	14. Chapter 14: Boys in Blue

**Chapter Fourteen: Boys in Blue**

Hestia's body healed over the next few days, and her practice continued as normal. It had been full of rather mundane patients until Liza finally graced her with a visit. She waited until just before lunch before she appeared, and the pair ordered a pizza before relaxing into Hestia's living room. The conversation was staggered and awkward at first, but soon Hestia lost her patience. "Why are you with Falcone?"

Liza lowered her gaze before looking back up at her friend. "I just work for him. I clean his house, I cook, and I spend time with him."

Hestia tilted her head to the side. "If I can tell you are lying, I assure you that he will find out as well. He'll kill you, Liza. Whatever it is that you are actually doing, it isn't worth it."

"You work for him too."

"My circumstances are much different. Don Falcone saved me, and he gave me a chance to achieve things that I didn't believe that I could do prior. I owe him a great amount of my talents, Liza. You, on the other hand, should leave Gotham. You are a bad liar, and you should really reconsider your actions. I just worry about you. You are my friend, and if he ever finds out that we knew each other longer than I said we did, he'll probably kill me too."

Liza rung her hands together as she looked at Hestia. "But he's so kind to me, and I don't mean him any harm."

"How did you two meet?"

"Through a mutual friend."

Hestia blinked at her before standing. "You cannot trust her Liza. Now, I suggest you leave before your ride comes in to check on you. You've been here for an hour." She walked her friend to the front check in desk and had her sign out as usual. As soon as she unlocked the door, two men walked in. Her friend exited past them carefully, and Hestia felt uneasy with letting her friend go so soon. "Oh, how may I help you?"

She eyed them over, one much younger than other. He was clean cut and well-dressed while the other man looked as if he had slept in his suit and had simply just rolled out of bed. The younger gentleman removed something from his jacket pocket. A notepad. "I am Detective James Gordon, and this is my partner, Harvey Bullock. We need to ask you a few questions, ma'am."

"You know that it happened almost a week ago, right? I thought you would have been at the hospital to ask questions. Besides, I heard it has already been taking care of."

The two gentlemen exchanged a look before the ragged detective took a step closer to her. "What happened?"

"Some guy that was hyped up on Viper came here and attacked me when I tried to provide care to him." She turned her head so that they could get a better look at her stitches and the light bruising still upon her neck. "He was insane…Luckily Vi—my security guard showed up and took him down, but he kind of crumbled into dust, if you can believe it."

"Oh, we saw some of the Viper users… We aren't here for that though. We are investigating a different case." Gordon frowned at the thought of them missing a call like this. "Did you place a call with us?"

Hestia nodded slowly as she thought back. "I pulled my alarm, and the alarm company contacted you. They said an officer would meet me at the hospital. However, that is all water under the bridge. What could I possibly help you with?"

"We are looking for a man, he would've been in last night, possibly earlier this morning. He would be missing a finger."

She shook her head and made eye contact with the younger detective. "No, I didn't have any patients like that. I had two gunshot victims that I already called in, and they have already been transported to the general hospital. Other than that, I had a mother bring her child in because he was having difficulty breathing due to a flu, and I also had an older gentleman come in that was mugged. I also contacted police for that crime as well. I have the officer names for those calls, if you need them."

Bullock scrunched his eyebrows together. "Does Falcone know you call his boys in?"

"You treat the mob?" Gordon asked, his eyebrows mocking Bullock's.

She once again nodded slowly. "Just as you believe in finding justice for everyone, I believe in giving care to everyone. I don't turn patients away if I can help it, and unfortunately some of those patients may have less than credible means of income. I also treat patients who are trying to keep treatment as a secret, such as domestic abuse victims. However, Falcone and Maroni are both aware that I do contact police in crime related injuries. They understand that it is part of my duty as a doctor, and they respect this."

"So you have contact with both Dons?" Gordon asked as he took a step towards her.

She eyed him carefully. "I only did when I first opened my practice. I had to make sure that all of my patients knew that they had a safe place to receive treatment. I have a very strict no violence policy that they respect. In fact, I have had one of Maroni's men and one of Falcone's men sit in the same waiting room. They weren't happy about it, but it is my wishes. I treat some police officers as well, and what a lot of people refer to as 'street kids' as well."

"What was your name, again?" The younger officer asked as he placed his pen against the paper of his notepad.

Hestia laughed politely before looking at him. "Doctor Hestia Zaqar. The name of my clinic is on the front door, if you need that as well."

"I am going to need a list of your mob patients."

"Then get a warrant, Detective Gordon. I have been more than kind enough to answer your questions, but I do have doctor-patient confidentiality. I do my part by contacting the GCPD to come pick up my patients once I am finished administering treatment. It isn't my fault if you don't arrive in time, but I have limited space to treat patients in, and so they have to be discharged at some point. I am sure you can understand why they don't stick around. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to attend to. You gentlemen have a nice day, and try not to ruffle anymore feathers while you're at it."

"Is that a threat?" Gordon had stepped within Hestia's comfort zone.

She squared him up before glaring up at him. "It isn't a threat, but, I may forget to call in some of my patients, given your ungrateful attitude. Bullock, I will talk to you later. Get your mutt out of my face." She smiled coyly up at the young detective as Bullock carefully grabbed his shoulder.

"Let's go Jimbo. She didn't treat the guy, and we still have a few more places to stop at." He began to pull Gordon towards the door. Once they were outside, Harvey looked him over. "Are you crazy? You know that she has personal ties to Falcone directly? Don't start a fight with her, because you'll regret it. She calls in a crazy amount of the bums you go chasing in the dark. I suggest you send her an apology card or something. You make enemies in all the wrong places in Gotham."

As soon as the two detectives left Hestia turned to head back down her hall, instead she walked face first into a solid object, and soon she was on the floor. The solid object knelt down in front of her and helped her up. She winced from the soreness still in her body before she made eye contact with Victor. "I really need to buy you a bell or something. I can usually smell you first now, but you aren't wearing cologne today."

He gave her a toothy smile before kissing her forehead. "I've been working, Hestia. I actually need your help with something."

Her hands moved over his chest and arms as she looked for any wounds before her hand touched a wet patch of blood near his left elbow. She sighed sharply before carefully taking his hand and leading him towards the operational room. "Take off your clothes." She said in a scolding manner before washing her hands and getting a tray ready with different instruments. He plopped down on the table in the center of the room before shrugging out of his suit jacket. He slowly unbuttoned his next shirt as he watched her slowly. Once he finished the final button, he let the shirt fall off his shoulders.

"Did you want me to pay those detectives a visit? They didn't seem very polite."

She shook her head as she examined his wound. It wasn't a bullet wound, but looked more like a knife slash. She picked up his jacket and shirt to examine the sleeve. "How did they cut you through your clothes without actually cutting through the fabric?"

"I was at the gym. I had to change before I could come here. The other guy is much worse."

She worked to get it clean and soon he was patched up and she cleaned up the work area before removing her gloves. She paged for one of her assistants to do a sterile cleaning of the OR table and then she picked up his clothes. "I think I have some of your shirts here. I can take care of these for you." Her eyes scanned over his new tally marks upon his right arm.

"Three of those are from the guards. The other two are from other incidences." He was nonchalant in his answer and they walked down the clinic hallway towards her living quarters. She opened the front door and allowed him in first. She hadn't spoken to him since her secret reveal, and she wasn't sure if she should bring it up as she walked towards her laundry room. She ran the sleeve of his clothes under some cold water to rinse out some of the blood before placing them in her washer to wash them on a gentle cycle.

When she found him, he was laying on her bed with her newest book in his hands. He was skimming over the back cover. Another murder mystery. He placed the book on her bedside table before resting his arms behind his head. "Did you think I would ever end up like this? I know we took history and math together. You had braces then."

She blinked at him. She wasn't sure if he remembered the freckled nerd from high school. She was still growing into her body, and she was so awkward then. She had a crush on him even back then, but he was a much different person in high school. He was so quiet and observant, versus the sometimes playful Victor Zsasz she knew now. She had secretly purchased him a glass Valentine's Day rose with a simple smiling face on the notecard that accompanied it. She sat at the edge of the bed and looked him over. He had filled into his body, but back then he was lanky and seemed so undernourished. "I didn't even think you remembered that."

"You were the only one that was actually concerned if I missed class though. You used to recopy your notes and leave them in my locker. I wasn't sure it was you until I read some of the notes you've written on the notice board in the break room. I should have talked to you more then."

She suddenly felt very small as she looked over his muscled body. She had often wondered if he would have kissed her when she had braces. "I sound like such a loser when I hear it out loud now." She laughed quietly before she climbed up closer to him. She rested on her stomach and propped herself up on her forearms before looking into his eyes. "I actually thought you'd become a police officer, as funny as that sounds. You always had that authoritative persona about you. You could just give people these looks, and most of the time, they would stop what they were doing."

His closest hand reached up to play with a loose curl from her pony tail. He seemed troubled by something as he played with the bouncy flames between his fingers, his dark orbs looking over her features. She still had her freckles, while they weren't as predominant as they were back then, they still kissed her cheeks and waved across her nose. Her lips still had the stiches from the Viper incident, and he could tell the crook her nose now. He hadn't noticed it before. It had been broken prior though, he could tell. He had broken plenty of noses himself, and he knew what the healed product looked like.

She had tired bags under her eyes, and she had a small scar in between her eyebrows. She had another scar towards her lower left jaw, and her lips had a natural gentle pout to them. Her eyes never left his face as he continued to memorize each feature upon her face, and then he finally noticed the way she was looking at him. It made him shudder inside, and he felt a strange movement in his chest and stomach. Her gaze held something unconditional and demanding. Her form slowly raised and fell as she breathed, and a small smile was starting to play at the corners of her mouth. "Hestia…" He simply muttered.

She smiled then, her eyes reflecting back into his dark orbs. "I love you too, Victor." She scooted closer to him and kissed his cheek. "I had pizza for lunch, but are you hungry? I could make you something. Maybe something to drink?"

He let go of her curl, his chest still toying lightly at his rib cage from her statement. He would probably never actually say it, but it was enough that she could tell. He was more a man of action rather than being verbally prowess anyways. "I am not hungry. I came by to get cleaned up, and to see how you were feeling."

She sat up to slip off her doctor coat before tossing it towards the chair in the corner of her room. "Well, I am feeling much better than I was the other night."

"Why didn't you tell me about your parents before?"

His gaze seemed to darken as he looked over her features again. "Because I wasn't ready to."

"The way you shot the guard the other night…I noticed it in you. You always know a killer when you see them."

Hestia rubbed her shoulders before scooting close to him again. "I just have never considered myself a murderer. I felt like I was serving justice. I was getting one of Maroni's men off the street, and I was freeing myself from abuse." She laughed at herself then before resting a hand on his chest. "Who am I kidding? I shot my family and fiancé in premeditated murder. I probably should have been more a part of their conversation before I did though."

Victor sat up and placed his hands on either side of her face. "They deserved it, Hestia. They treated you like an animal. They were the real animals though. You did them a favor by freeing them from being that. You redeemed them."

She leaned in and gently kissed his lips to change the subject. She didn't expect the demanding, aggressive kiss he had for her in return. He pushed against her body and she laid down on her back as he moved over her. His kiss was bruising, and she winced slightly as he kissed the stiches upon her lips. His hands moved up her pencil skirt as he moved his hips in between her own. She kicked off her heels and they fell to the carpet below. He worked quickly to undress her, and beginning at her left ankle, he kissed up her bruised side. He made sure that his lips caressed every single one as he moved closer towards her neck. He paused from his trail only to kiss over her breast, and his hand reached up to cup her other one. She squirmed underneath him, and he continued to trail kisses to her neck.

She bit her lower lip gently as his face moved towards her, but he let his lips simply tease her own before moving to her right ankle. He followed the same pattern up the right side of her body, this time his lips ending up against her own. His belt buckle jingled as he slipped off his pants. The flesh from his torso connected with her own, and they joined in another demanding kiss. His teeth left fire down her neck as he pushed slowly into her. She moaned through the ache in her body and his hands rested on her hips as he worked his way in and out of her. Soon she was ignoring the pain in her body as his fire engulfed her, their bodies moving in a systematic rhythm.

Although Victor Zsasz was not the man to tell her that he loved her, he was going to show her that he did. Their hands traveled over expanse valleys, their mouths drinking each other in as they moved across her bed. A few pillows fell to the floor, and her sheets began to twist under their activity. The bed whined quietly beneath them and the room seemed to close them off from the rest of the world. There were no mob hits or patients here, only them. Their noses brushed roughly against each other as they joined for another kiss, and he moved quicker with her. Her hands slipped nail marks down his back with each thrust, and soon they were writhing against each other.

He rested on top of her as their breathing came down with their pleasure ending. He moved slowly out of her and left another kiss upon her lips as he rolled over to lay on his back. She moved quickly to rest her tired head against his chest, and her fingers trailed shapes over his heart. He kissed her forehead, and she returned this by kissing over his heart. They slipped under her covers and fell asleep, a tangled mess of tired hitman and exhausted doctor. They fell asleep with each other, and they had their separate dreams.


	15. Chapter 15: They All Fall Down

_Hestia's backpack hung over her left shoulder as she made her way up the steps of her high school. The stairs were crowded and she kept her head down as she carefully weaved through the several groups that stopped to catch up. She was finally entering her senior year, and unlike many of her fellow students, she had already been at school for a few hours in order to update her school ID and receive her schedule. She had a new locker this year, and she was disappointed at its placement. Her old one had been right across the hall from the library, which made it easier for her to escape the crowded hall._

 _This year her locker rested fairly close to the cafeteria, which meant the hall would always be busy for the different lunch hours, and she also happened to be a locker neighbor to one of the varsity football players. She wasn't sure who was her other neighbor was. She opened her locker to retrieve her textbooks for her first three classes. She had decided to finish her history requirement by taking a world history class as her first period, which was followed by a calculus class, and her final class before lunch was a lit class. She decided that she wouldn't sit in the front row this year, and instead she chose a seat in the back left corner of the class room. She was excited at the prospect of having a window to daydream out of during her history class._

 _She slid her text book on her desk and retrieved a notebook from her backpack. She simply set her bag in between her feet and she started filling out the date and class information on the first page of the notebook. She didn't expect any other classmates to wander in for another ten minutes, but she soon heard shuffling in the desk next to her. The student setting up his own textbook next to her was familiar. She had seen him in the lunch room and in other classes before, but she didn't really know him personally. His hair was longer this year, the fluorescent lights dancing between his blonde bangs, and she was careful not to stare too long as he plopped down into the desk._

 _He made it clear that he didn't want to be here as his fingers drummed upon the desk in the rhythm of some rock song. "What time does this class start?"_

 _Hestia cleared her throat as she sat up. "In about five minutes. I wonder where everyone else is."_

 _He simply grunted a response before he leaned forward and started scribbling over his notebook. He worked on a few doodles as more classmates moved in and took up the rest of the desks. The instructor finally came in five minutes late, and he took straight to the chalk board to write out his name and other information. After he completed this task, he leapt straight into lecturing as he placed stacks of the syllabus on the front desks of each row. They were slowly passed back, and soon the back rows had moved all of the extras down the line to Hestia's desk. She placed them under her textbook and continued to take notes on the rather fast paced lecture. The instructor would occasionally stop to push his glasses back up his nose and to reference textbook page numbers, but few students actually shuffled to these noted sections._

 _By the end of the class Hestia had filled several pages worth of notes, and she was the last one to pack up. She took the stack of syllabuses to the instructor and left towards her next class. Her calculus class was held in one of the chemistry classrooms. Each table had a spot for two students, and she found herself sitting next to the blonde boy again. She had managed to learn his name during rollcall. Victor. She didn't catch his last name, however. This class moved at a much slower pace as the instructor passed out some review materials. His voice was monotonous and his round stature and long nose reminded Hestia of a rat._

 _After her third class she pushed through the crowd to her locker. She could barely open the door wide enough to slide her textbooks in as more and more students shuffled towards other classes and to the cafeteria. The Varsity football player and a few of his friends crowded around the locker to her left, causing her to squeeze up against the locker to her right. She managed to remove the last two textbooks for her other classes before finally closing her locker door. Her red hair tickled against her cheeks as she turned to walk towards the cafeteria. Her eyes carefully followed the blonde boy again as his fingers worked the lock on the locker next to her own. He must have been waiting. Instead of stopping to speak to him, she continued off on her own journey._

 _By the end of the day she was debating on just carrying all of her textbooks with her at the beginning of the day. It would be much more effective than returning to her locker before lunch. She decided to complete her homework in the library, instead of trying to complete it at home. The first day left her with much more than she had been expecting, and so by the time she was leaving campus, the sun was beginning to set. That meant she would have to hurry home, and she kept her eyes straight ahead so as not to draw attention to herself. The streets were soaked from a random rain burst that must have occurred while she was still inside the library, and she prayed that it wouldn't start up again as she maneuvered through the streets._

 _The sirens started up early tonight as she made her way through a short alleyway. She had hoped she would have her own car this year, like most of her classmates, but her birthday had passed a few weeks before the start of school, leaving her with a tattered book and a "new" jacket. Her mother had stayed up the night before scrubbing the blood from it and she even went through the trouble of patching over the gun shot hole with a pretty flower accent. As she made her way home, she wondered what it would be like once she finally reached her destination._

 _As she turned into the final alleyway leading towards the back of her home, she heard a strange sound coming from somewhere up ahead. She slowed her pace as she approached the sound only to find a man clutching his throat, a sickening gurgling rising up towards her ears. She crouched and gently touched his hand before hearing a series of noises coming from behind her. She held her breath as she tried to conceal herself behind a dumpster. Another man stumbled towards the wall in front of her, a knife sticking from the base of his skull. He made eye contact with her, and she bit her lower lip as tears slowly welled up behind her lashes. She cursed herself for staying so late after school, and then she cursed her instructors for piling so much homework onto her for the first day of school._

 _She looked back down at the man she had found initially to find that his movement had stopped. She decided to stay behind the dumpster until she was sure that whoever took care of these two men wouldn't also make quick work of her. She waited for what seemed years before finally moving back out into the alleyway. She fixed her backpack, but before she could head back towards her home, she was lifted from the pavement. Her backpack was torn from her and she tried to scream only to have a bear paw strongly grasp her face. She began to kick wildly, the tears free falling from her darkened eyes. She heard something hiss in her ear, but her pounding heart drowned out the spoken words._

 _Soon she was being pushed into the backseat of a dark colored car, and the feeling of cold steel pushed up against her temple. She sat up straight and didn't dare utter a single word as the car whipped down unfamiliar roads and they soon pulled up to a darkened building. She was drug from the backseat by her hair and was being pulled through the doors of the building. The warehouse was vacant, and she began to pray that perhaps her father's boss had influence over these men that had snatched her up so quickly. Her shoes clicked loudly against the pavement flooring of the warehouse, and the men behind her occasionally pushed her to make her walk faster. She thought of what her final moments would be like as they finally stopped in the middle of the warehouse._

 _She locked her eyes onto the back of the towering man before her, his hair just beginning to pepper. He was on the phone, and his voice low. One of the men behind her cleared his throat, and the man said a quick goodbye before hanging up. He turned to face towards the man who had cleared his throat, and his eyes stopped on the girl instead. Her mascara was running down her cheeks, her nose bright red from her sobbing in the car. She steeled herself as best she could as he reached into his pocket. Hestia closed her eye tightly and her face flinched away as she expected him to retrieve a weapon of some sorts._

 _She heard him shuffle forward as he approached her, and soon a gentle hand pushed some of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes shot open and looked towards the man's hand. His other extended towards her as he offered her a white handkerchief. "It's clean, I assure you." His voice was calm and she hesitantly took the fabric from his fingers. "I apologize for the rough manner in which you were treated. You happened to be in the wrong place, and at the wrong time."_

 _The fabric was soft against her cheeks as she cleaned the mascara from her face. It left dark smudges across the vast expanse of tightly woven snow. She caught the golden lettering at the corner and read it aloud. "C.F." Her eyes moved slowly to his face. "Don Falcone?" Her voice trembled as she realized that she had truly entered the lion's den._


	16. Chapter 16: The Sins of our Fathers

_A low chuckle came from the towering man as he straightened himself. "It is odd that you refer to me by that term, but yes, I am Don Carmine Falcone." His hands ran down the front of his suit as straightened it back into place. He smelled of fancy cigars and outdoor air. "Now, who might you be?"_

 _"_ _Hestia Zaqar." She took this time to also straighten her outfit out, as well as her hair. She had stopped crying for the time being, and she decided that she would have to act tough to get through whatever might be coming in the near future for her._

 _"_ _Zaqar? You must be his daughter. He works for Don Maroni, correct?"_

 _Hestia slowly nodded. "That's how I knew to call you Don instead of Mister."_

 _Falcone tilted his head lightly to the side as he looked the young woman over. "Do you go to school? Is that why you were walking home so late? I would think that your father would take more precautions in regards to his only child. However, he does work for Maroni, so intelligence and caution must not be his strong suit."_

 _"_ _I did stay late at school to finish my homework. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on it at home. As far as I know, my father is having….difficulties…with Don Maroni. He's been in trouble lately, and they have pawning things off when I am not home. Like my violin."_

 _His tongue clicked against his teeth as he took a step to his left. He paced slowly, his mind seeming to reel through different ideas. "Well, if he has upset Maroni, then your father should definitely be taking precautions for you. What do you want to be when you are older?"_

 _"_ _I want to be a doctor…Gotham could use a lot more affordable ones." She paused in order to seize this opportunity to play some more emotional cards for better favor on her behalf. "I have really good grades, and almost perfect attendance. I have been accepted to a few schools, and I know that I will be a very helpful doctor in the future." Her voice picked up into passionate excitement as she looked up towards him._

 _"_ _Can you afford to go to school?" He asked. "Since your father has fallen on hard times."_

 _Hestia lowered her gaze. "I can take loans out if I can't win the scholarships I have applied for. I can also work while I go to school."_

 _A crooked smile took over the man's features before he turned towards his workers. "Make sure she gets home safely." He held a large hand out to Hestia, and she shook it carefully. "It was nice to meet you, Hestia. I am sure we will be in contact again."_

 _"_ _Thank you Don Falcone."_

 _"_ _Please, call me Carmine."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Carmine."_

 _-{x}-_

 _Hestia looked over her shoulders before approaching the blonde boy's locker. She shoved carefully rewritten notes and homework sheets into the slits of the steel locker door. It was only the third month of school and he was already missing two and half weeks' worth of homework. Her braces had finally been removed the day before, and she was feeling more confident at school as she left the locker to head outside for her ride. The car was parked across the street from the school, and she made her way over to it quickly. A man stepped over to her door and opened it for her. Once she had climbed inside, he closed it behind her._

 _"_ _Good afternoon Carmine. Where are we going today?"_

 _He smiled from the seat across from her as she fixed the position of her backpack on the seat next to her. "I believe you have progress grades for the semester?"_

 _She furrowed her eyebrows before digging into the front pocket of her jacket. She held the paper out to him and he took it. "I don't know why you care so much about it."_

 _He ignored her comment as he worked to unfold the paper. He spent a moment reading over her grades and the comments from her instructors. He smiled once more before folding the paper back up and slipping it into his front jacket pocket. "I care because I care about you, Hestia."_

 _She looked towards her feet. "I know. It's just my parents never really…"_

 _"_ _I am not your parents. We have a business agreement. You stay out of the trouble you ran into a last month, and I take care of you."_

 _She let out a heavy sigh before nodding. "So, do I have a package to deliver today? I need to start saving up money for a prom dress."_

 _"_ _Prom isn't for quite a few months."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but the dresses are expensive. My friends and I are planning on going together, and they can afford really nice dresses… I just want a nice dress too."_

 _Falcone looked at her before looking towards the window. "Well, how about I show you the surprise I have for you today, and if you finish this semester strong without any legal incidences, then I can buy you whatever prom dress you want in February. How does that sound?"_

 _Hestia's eyes lit up. "Surprise? For me?" She sat up straighter. "I'll keep my grades up and behave and everything!" She was allowing her rare sense of childlike excitement to come through, and she looked at him expectantly._

 _"_ _You'll see when we get there. We have a deal then?" He held out his hand much like he did the first day they met, and she shook it excitedly. "What did you learn in school today?"_

 _As Hestia filled him in on the day's classes and regular high school drama, the car took them towards the nicer part of uptown Gotham. Some of the shops were starting to decorate for the upcoming Halloween festivities, and Falcone gave his undivided attention to Hestia. He even asked her questions if he didn't know some of the more scientific parts of her classes, and she always happily explained them to him. The car pulled up outside a large Victorian era building, and the man got out to open the door for Falcone and Hestia. He had her close her eyes, and she linked her arm over his elbow as he led their way into the building._

 _She could tell that they were going up an elevator as she began to bounce on the balls of her feet as the excitement grew in her stomach. Soon they were exiting the elevator, and she could tell they were on carpet flooring. Soon he stopped her. "Keep your eyes closed." She could hear the jingle of keys and a door open somewhere in front of her. He led her into the door. "Now you can open them."_

 _Her eyes opened to find herself in a large hallway. She started to walk down it until she walked into a living room. There was a door at the far end of the room that opened out into a balcony, and the living room was already fully furnished. Much like the building, it had a gothic Victorian feel to it as she ran her hand over the couch in the center of the room. There were even matching throw pillows and blankets over each piece of furniture. She continued to explore the condo. Two bedrooms, large eat in kitchen, two bathrooms, and even a reading room. Once she had finished exploring she made her way back to Falcone. He had taken a seat on one of the chairs in the living room._

 _"_ _What is this place?"_

 _"_ _I thought that it would be easier for you to complete your homework and keep up with your studies if you had your own space. This place is yours. You can have friends over or what have you." He pointed a finger at her. "But you be careful with boys, okay?"_

 _Hestia ran over and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, Carmine. I promise that I will take good care of it!"_

 _He hugged her back lightly before she moved to sit on a chair across from him. "I will also be having someone come by later this week to take you clothes shopping. If you are going to work for me, I will need you to look professional."_

 _Hestia looked down at her purple sweater. It had a childish cat knitted into the front, and she frowned. "What's wrong with the way I dress?"_

 _Falcone began to laugh harder than he usually did before clearing his throat. "Hestia, you are starting to come into the world of adulthood. In a few months, your high school career will be over, and you'll be pursuing higher education. It is time you started dressing like the career persona you want. Start dressing like a doctor, or at the very least, a little more professional."_

 _She sighed lightly before nodding. "I understand what you are saying. Do you know who I will be going with?"_

 _"_ _At this moment, I am assuming that I'll send you with Nello. He has a good personality to keep you somewhat entertained, and I know he'll keep you safe."_

 _"_ _Oh, I like Nello. He always has butterscotch candies. He says it keeps his nerves calm because his grandmother used to give him them."_

 _Falcone rose an eyebrow but stood before saying anything. "I have business to attend to. You work on some of your studies, and I may call you later about a package. I left some money on the counter for you to order pizza. If you have any problems, I have some guys in the condo across from you. Have a goodnight, Hestia." He stopped to kiss her forehead before he left her alone in her new apartment._

 _-{X}-_

 _The young man tilted his head back and sighed as crimson liquid trickled down his cheek. He moved his head from side to side to pop his neck before looking around the room. His hands closed and opened as his breathing began to soothe out. He stepped over a body as he looked over a counter. "Don't play and seek with me, Adam. Don Falcone made himself very clear. I am not to kill you…yet."_

 _He listened to the building around him carefully, as a few pained moans came from somewhere to his left. His body moved like a machine and soon he was jumping over a table and running down a hall. A man was stumbling further down the hall as he leaned against the wall. He fell into a room up ahead, and the young man closed in on him like a beast hunting its prey. He stooped down to grab the man's collar and he pushed him up against a wall. "Tell Falcone I got his money! I didn't think he'd miss a few hundred, you know? C'mon Vic, you know me."_

 _Victor slammed him against the wall again. "Falcone's money is Falcone's money. It doesn't matter if you think he'd miss it or not. Now, you have to come with me."_

 _Adam spit some blood out onto the floor next to them. "Just let me go. You can say you lost me in all of the commotion. I promise I'll leave the city, and I'll go somewhere else. He'll never have to know."_

 _The blonde snarled at him. "Those aren't my orders, Adam. I have to take you to Don Falcone. We're on a time crunch, and he doesn't like to wait. Now, just come along, alright?"_

 _"_ _We go to school together man! You can't do this to me!"_

 _Victor's jaw twitched as he looked towards his classmate. "I am sure they'll make a lovely page for you in the year book. I told you that you didn't want the type of job I had. I gave you fair warning. Not everyone is cut out for this work."_

 _"_ _But your parents man. They know me."_

 _Adam doubled over onto the floor as Victor's fist sunk into his stomach. "I vouched for you, and now I am going to be facing consequences." He grabbed ahold of Adam and began to lead him from the building. "Stop prolonging your punishment, Adam."_

 _Victor managed to get him into a vehicle and soon they were on their way to see Falcone. They met out on the docks, and Victor drug a sobbing Adam towards him. He left Adam by Falcone's feet before straightening up. He stiffened his jaw and his gloves squeaked quietly as he closed them tightly at his sides. "Don Falcone, I got a hold of him. I had to take care of a few of his hired thugs, but the mess will be easy to dispose of."_

 _Falcone reached into his pocket and held out some money to Victor. "I knew you were the right one to send. You've really proved yourself this last year. Soon you'll have your parents' debts paid off, and you'll have enough money to make something of yourself."_

 _Victor took the money and crammed it into a jacket pocket. He looked down at Adam before speaking to Falcone. "Thank you for having the faith in me to complete your work. He said he has the money to pay you back."_

 _Falcone was digging into another pocket as Victor spoke. He revealed a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Adam. "Unfortunately, if I let him get away with it, then others will think that they can commit similar acts of betrayal. He was a good kid, Victor, but he got unnecessarily greedy. I am sorry it came to be this way for your friend. I know you spoke well of him. He just made a poor choice against your better judgement." A pop echoed into the air and Adam's body slumped down to the floor. "Get him into the water, Victor. That's all I have for you tonight."_

 _Victor tied heavy blocks to Adam, and he avoided making eye contact with his lifeless eyes. While he enjoyed what he did, he had never had to witness the death of a friend like this. He had grown up with Adam. They were inseparable until eighth grade, and now they would never speak again. Their friendship had hit a rocky patch when Adam had started dating a crush of Victor's in their freshman year. She was probably up feeding her and Adam's son, waiting for Adam to come home from what she thought was a dock shipping job. Adam was money hungry for his family, and having a child was no easy task for him._

 _Victor rolled Adam towards the water and paused only to close Adam's eyelids. With that a splash hit the air and Adam was just another inconvenience at the bottom of Gotham's dark waters. He stood and dusted himself off before turning towards Falcone. He was wiping down the pistol, and soon it joined Adam in his grave before the older man walked towards a car at the other side of the dock. Victor turned and walked the other way without another word._

 _He went to his apartment and showered away Adam's blood and disposed of the clothes. While he would normally take the time to wash the blood from his work clothes, he had no interest in keeping the outfit that his best friend stained. He ate some Chinese delivery and started reading the notes from his locker. He wasn't sure who was leaving them for him, but he was grateful. It meant that he could continue working, but still keep his grades up to some healthy degree. Victor looked through each piece of homework he had missed in order to prioritize which homework he should start first. He had the weekend to catch up, and so he knew he could get through all of it if he didn't sleep much. Which he knew he wouldn't._

 _He started with his math homework since it interested him more than history. His dark eyes glanced towards the clock, it was only ten, but he knew he would be up much longer. He sighed lowly before flipping over the worksheet to examine exactly how much work was needing to be completed._


End file.
